After tightening its grip in sedan and MPV segment, it seems that Honda is now eyeing the entry level hatchback segment. Honda has proclaimed its plans of expanding market share in India in upcoming time and it seems that the auto maker has also started working towards it. Honda recently toppled M&M in July sales and acquired third spot in domestic market and now it aims to gain the top spot.
Rumours are doing the rounds that Honda is developing a small car that will be positioned below Brio in domestic market. The new hatchback will rival the likes of Marti Alto, Hyundai Eon and Maruti Wagon R. Positioned below Brio, the new unnamed hatchback is expected to be priced between Rs 3.5 lakh to Rs 4.5 lakh. To power the new hatchback, HCIl is reportedly working on a new 1.0 litre petrol engine. According to media reports the new engine will be made available in both naturally aspirated and turbocharged variants. The under development hatchback is likely to be production ready by 2017 and will apparently get the naturally aspirated variant of 1.0 litre petrol engine. Delving further into the engine specifications reveal that the new engine will be a three-cylinder motor based on 1.2 litre, four cylinder i-VTEC engine that presently powers Brio.
Inducted in 2013 in compact sedan Amaze, HCIl’s new 1.5 i-DTEC diesel powertrain has set new benchmarks in fuel efficiency. The engine is currently powering Amaze, new City and Mobilio MPV. Sources are of the opinion that Honda’s new low displacement petrol engine also aims at offering segment best fuel economy overpowering the current frugal engines available in the country.
Looking at the current demand for new City, Amaze and Mobilio MPV it seems that HCIl’s two manufacturing facilities located in Greater Noida, Uttar Pradesh and Tapukara in Rajasthan have been exhausted to its full capacity. New Jazz slated to launch next year in India will also be produced at one of the two facilities, hence this indicates at the requirement for a third manufacturing unit. Industry insiders opine that HCIL is chalking out a plan to open its third facility in Gujarat, however there has been no confirmation on either the new facility in Gujarat and the upcoming sub-Brio hatchback from HCIL.
