Honda Accord, after Honda Civic, could be another car from the Japanese car manufacturer to say good bye to the Indian auto market. Speculations have been on the rise for quite sometime about the matter, but they have got even stronger now. According to sources familiar with the story, Accord will now be sold only in a volume-controlled manner, while the Civic, as announced earlier, will be slashed from the Indian market probably by the end of 2012.
The Japanese auto giant has made a change in its strategy, as it is now planning to cut down the premium sedans and instead focus more on the small car segment. Moreover, the reason for the discontinuation of Civic can be cited as the stiff competition delivered from the same segment models like Chevrolet Cruze and Hyundai Elantra Fluidic, which had largely affected the sales of Honda Civic in India.
On the other hand, the car manufacturer has unveiled the 2013 model of Accord, which is likely to be brought as a Completely Built Unit (CBU) in the country. However, the company's move will take the cost of vehicle even above the previous model, hitting the sentiments of price sensitive Indian buyers. Industry experts believe that amidst increasing petrol prices in the country, the future for Accord's new version cannot be judged.
On the other hand, the diesel model of Accord is available in the European market, but Honda does not consider it to be a suitable option for the Indian roads. As the demand for petrol models have decreased in the recent times, Honda, like other auto giants, is working towards bringing more diesel variants in its product portfolio. Working on this philosophy, the diesel version of Honda Brio, the first diesel powered car from the Japanese manufacturer, is likely to hit the Indian roads by the end of this year.
