Honda Amaze launch brought forward to April 11
Honda will launch the Amaze on April 11. Dealers tell us that the launch date has been brought forward from the 16th to get the car into dealerships as soon as possible. They are anticipating a huge response for Honda's first diesel car.
Sources tell us that the company began production of the Amaze in January and has already built over 10,000 units so that the company can 'flood the streets' with the Amaze soon after its launch, a strategy Maruti follows with its new car launches. Furthermore, the source added that the company expects to sell 12,000 units of the Amaze per month to begin with and if the demand is higher, it can ramp up production to 20,000 units per month.
The Amaze is Honda's sub-4 metre sedan based on the Brio hatchback. It is powered by the same 1.2-litre petrol engine from the Brio and a new 1.5-litre diesel engine developed specifically for India. Honda has increased the length of the Amaze for rear-seat passenger comfort, and Honda's 'man maximum, machine minimum' design philosophy ensures that the Amaze has enough boot space and doesn't look like an afterthought. The Amaze is far better proportioned than its main competitor, the new Maruti Dzire with its stubby boot, and also offers marginally more boot space than the hatchback.
The price of the Amaze is expected to start at Rs 5 lakh for the base petrol variant, and Rs 6 lakh for the base diesel variant. The top-end diesel will carry a price tag of approximately Rs 7.5 lakh.
With the dieselization of the Indian passenger car market, Honda has had to sail troubled waters for a tough few years with no diesel engine in its portfolio. The 1.5-litre i-DTEC diesel motor may prove to be the light at the end of the tunnel for Honda.
For our Honda Amaze first drive and walkaround, click here
Starts Rs 6.32 Lakhs
1498cc
Manual
90
200
21 Kmpl
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