Honda to showcase small car prototype at Thailand Motor Expo

Honda Siel Cars India on Tuesday said it will showcase the prototype of its proposed small car at the upcoming Thailand International Motor Expo this month and will launch the vehicle in India in 2011.

Japanese car giant Honda had unveiled the concept of the vehicle at the Delhi Auto Expo this year and said it will be priced below Rs 5 lakh.

In a statement, Honda Siel Cars India (HSCI) said the world premiere of the prototype of the new small-size vehicle will take place at the forthcoming 27th Thailand International Motor Expo 2010, starting November 30.

HSCI, the joint venture between Honda and the Siel Group, further said the proposed small car is "scheduled to be introduced to India and Thailand in 2011".

Based on this prototype, Honda will introduce two versions of the small car, the statement said.

"In India, Honda will introduce a model developed exclusively for the country's growing small car market. In Thailand, Honda will introduce a model that complies with the country's high fuel efficiency standards," it said.

New Honda Compact Car to be Priced Below Rs. 5 Lakh in India

Small cars or compact cars go pretty well with the populace here in India and Honda gauging this aspect, decided to introduce the Jazz here. However, many prospective buyers of the car have been put off by the high price of the car, which has not even launched as yet.

But if you remember, the Japanese car maker was working on two, not one, small cars for the country. Now Indian newspaper, The Times of India, is reporting that Honda Siel Cars India (or HSCI) is planning to get their other small car with a price tag that would be below the Rs. 5 lakh mark. In fact, officials from the company have pointed out that a new team focused on research and development would be in place from next month.

Elaborating more on the team, an official from Honda India explained, “The R&D team will be headed by a senior Honda official from Japan. The expected size of the team is around 25 members and it will also have people from Honda’s India operations from departments like manufacturing and purchase.”

The new compact car by Honda India is expected to be priced somewhere around Rs. 4.5 lakh. Though there is no word on the release date, it is expected to be out within the coming three years. The R&D team will not only work on the indigenization of the car but also on the localization of the production of key components, which will keep the costs low.

New Honda Compact Car to be Priced Below Rs. 5 Lakh in India

Small cars or compact cars go pretty well with the populace here in India and Honda gauging this aspect, decided to introduce the Jazz here. However, many prospective buyers of the car have been put off by the high price of the car, which has not even launched as yet. But if you remember, the Japanese car maker was working on two, not one, small cars for the country.

Now Indian newspaper, The Times of India, is reporting that Honda Siel Cars India (or HSCI) is planning to get their other small car with a price tag that would be below the Rs. 5 lakh mark. In fact, officials from the company have pointed out that a new team focused on research and development would be in place from next month.

Elaborating more on the team, an official from Honda India explained, “The R&D team will be headed by a senior Honda official from Japan. The expected size of the team is around 25 members and it will also have people from Honda’s India operations from departments like manufacturing and purchase.” The new compact car by Honda India is expected to be priced somewhere around Rs. 4.5 lakh.

Though there is no word on the release date, it is expected to be out within the coming three years. The R&D team will not only work on the indigenization of the car but also on the localization of the production of key components, which will keep the costs low.

Automatic cars find many new women buyers The auto industry has some new positioning working out to its advantage. Automatic transmission cars are se

The auto industry has some new positioning working out to its advantage. Automatic transmission cars are seeing brisk sales, thanks to the growing number of female customers who have developed a penchant for such cars. It is widely believed that automatic transmission variants of a number of models are finding a lot of woman takers as it enhances the comfort to drive such cars.

A number of companies that have lined up new automatic transmission-enabled models like Hyundai's i20, GM's Captiva (AT version), Fiat's Linea et al. Moreover, the recently launched models like Honda City, Mitsubishi Outlander, Mahindra Scorpio etc are already equipped with the aforesaid feature. Unlike before, carmakers are offering new-age five to six speed automatic transmission systems which are offering better fuel-efficiency along with improved pick up and performance.

One of the top-selling cars of such variants is the premium hatchback car-i10, which is selling over 1,600 automatic transmission variants per month, which is more than the company's initial estimates.

It was reported earlier that Mahindra & Mahindra Ltd. (M&M), on 22nd September'08, has launched the Scorpio Automatic in Pune and Bangalore, which incorporates a fully automatic 6-speed gearbox and the powerful 2.2 litre mHawk engine. Scorpio is the first Indian brand and the first SUV in its class to offer a 6-speed fully automatic transmission.

According to a senior representative of Hyundai Motor India Limited, the sale of automatic variants of i10 have exceeded the company's expectations. He added that there has been an overwhelming response from woman drivers and the growing congestion in the urban centres is pushing up demand. He also indicated that the company will also roll out the automatic transmission variant in its Verna sedan too and would also bring a variant for the physically challenged.

Commenting on the new trend, one of the top honchos of Honda Siel Cars India (HSCI) has stated that the company sells the automatic transmission variants for most of its models like Civic, Accord, City, CRV. He added that female buyers are inclined towards high-end features and automatic transmission is one of them.

According to a senior official of GM India, the Captiva model has been selling like hot cakes. Buoyed by the burgeoning demand, the company has decided to launch the automatic variant soon (with a four-wheel drive), that will cost around Rs. 20 lakh.

Honda Seeks to Boost Auto Sales in India

Honda Motor Co. President Takeo Fukui unveiled a new version of the City, Honda's best-selling compact sedan in India, aiming to boost sales in this key emerging market as concern grows of a global slowdown in the auto industry.

With sales in the U.S., the world's largest market, falling to their lowest levels in years, auto makers have looked to hot markets like India and China to help pick up the slack.

But now these other auto markets are also showing signs of weakness. In India, auto sales fell in August from a year earlier, marking the second monthly fall in a row. August sales in China also fell from a year earlier, marking the first decline in auto sales there in two years.

"Even in India, they are not immune to the cyclical nature of the economy," says Tatsuo Yoshida, an analyst for UBS Securities in Tokyo. "Investors have been very nervous about near-term prospects of the Indian automobile market."

The Honda president said he thinks India's slowdown is temporary. "It's sure to bounce back in the next few months," Mr. Fukui said.

Meant to draw buyers back into dealer showrooms during the coming festival months in India, Honda's new City model is part of a wave of vehicle launches by car makers into the country's increasingly crowded auto market.

In 2007, the current City model was Honda's biggest seller, accounting for 37,000 of its total sales of 60,000 vehicles. In the first eight months of this year, sales of the current City were up 12% from a year earlier. The Japanese auto maker is expecting the new model to help lift Honda's India sales above those of last year. Honda's goal for 2008 is to sell 80,000 vehicles in India, though it may not reach that because of the slowdown.

Mr. Fukui, who describes the City as "roomy," said it is Honda's "most significant model" in the Indian market. Though it would be considered a compact, entry-level vehicle in developed markets, the City is viewed as a premium vehicle by business executives here. The new model will cost about 800,000 rupees, or close to $17,500, making it Honda's least expensive vehicle in the Indian market but still beyond the reach of most car buyers.

Although Honda dominates the motorcycle market in India, the Japanese company doesn't offer any models in India's small-auto segment, which makes up the vast majority of car sales.

The new City was also launched this month in Thailand, one of 39 countries where the model has been sold since the first-generation City was launched in 1996.

Honda launches premium 8th Generation Accord

Honda Siel Cars India Limited, leading manufacturer of premium cars in India, today unveiled its premium, upscale All-new Eighth Generation Honda Accord for Gujarat market.

Speaking on the occasion, Zonal Head (West) Munaf Meghani said, "We are delighted to launch the eighth generation Honda Accord in Gujarat. While dependability, quality and reliability define every Honda product, that solid-base empowers the Company to exceed customer expectations by providing styling, performance, safety, refinement and value that few competitors can match across the board." "Since 1976, when the first-generation Accord was launched globally, Honda has sold more than 16 million Accords in 160 countries. Of these, more than 16,000 units have been sold in India since 2001," he informed.

The new Honda Accord will be available in three types in both Automatic and Manual transmission Accord 2.4, Accord 2.4 Elegance and Accord 2.4 Inspire.

The new Honda Accord has been completely redesigned, with a larger wheel-base and advanced and powerful new exterior styling. The car has spacious interiors, with upscale luxury features.

The overall length and width of the car has been increased by 80 mm and 25 mm respectively, making its dimensions best in the class, he explained.

The new vehicle comes with 5-speed Manual Transmission and 5-speed Automatic transmission with Paddle shift, to give the exhilarating experience of F-1 racing. The AT now has Shift Holding System, which avoids unnecessary gear shifting on winding roads and helps in hassle free drive.

The new Accord is equipped with best of safety technologies, with intelligent six airbags, including side curtain air bags, Advanced Compatibility Engineering (ACE) body and G-Force Control Technology (G-CON) for enhanced safety of the vehicle occupants during a collision, Mr Meghani added.