The Hindu Business Line : Honda to roll out India-specific cars

Tokyo, Oct. 24 Honda Motor Company is planning to launch to new cars in the Indian market next year, which will straddle both the premium sub-compact and luxury categories.

The Honda Jazz and the Civic Hybrid will be the cars that will be debuted in India next year and the two cars are likely to open up new segment focuses for the Japanese company.

Speaking to a section of the Indian media here at the 40th Tokyo Motor Show, Mr Masahiro Takedagawa, President and CEO of Honda Siel Cars India, said that the company is in the process of developing and homologating both the cars for meeting the requirements of the Indian market.

Jazz coming

In the case of the Honda Jazz, the current version of the car, which has been launched in many markets worldwide recently, will be the one that will make it to India.

However, unlike the international version, which features bigger sized engines, the India-specific variant will have a 1.2-litre engine to get the lower excise duty benefits. Mr Takedagawa also said that the company has decided to launch the hybrid version of the Honda Civic next year.

HSCI is in the process of homologating the car and it will be launched even if the Indian Government does not offer any special tax benefits for the car.

These cars combine the benefits of an electric motor and a conventional petrol engine. About the company’s experience in the Indian market, Mr Takeo Fukui, President and CEO of Honda Motor Company, said that the first two-wheeler joint venture with the Hero Group enabled the Japanese automobile giant to understand the market better.

Reiterating that the Hero Honda joint venture is important for the Japanese company, Mr Fukui said that both the Indian subsidiary Honda Motorcycle and Scooter India and Hero Honda can co-exist.

Speaking about Honda’s plans to enter the small car market in India, Mr Fukui said that the company is considering a India-specific model, but refused to comment further.