[BZ25]

Autocar India uploaded a drag race between the Honda Civic Petrol CVT & the Toyota Innova Crysta Touring Sport.

https://youtu.be/UUXi9qAXTQU

One just can't believe that in 2020, the Honda Civic would cede defeat to a Toyota Innova in a drag race. This race really shows that Honda's pathetic attitude towards India, with their choice of Engine-Gearbox combination for the Indian Civic.

C'mon Honda! If you can't get us any of the Turbocharged powertrains, atleast give us a manual variant of the Petrol Civic.

[ashlil]

Here is a way forward for Honda India. Stop proclaiming your vague premiumness. Start listing out aspects of your cars that make them more premium than others. This involves not just dishing out marketing terms like i-vtec or ACE, rather more concrete things like our car has traction control, lane assist and hill assist while other brands do not. But, I guess they would not take my advice at all. They would love to charge people more for nothing.

[CarguyNish]

Honda To Launch A Hybrid Car In India In 2021

Speculated to be either the City Hybrid or Next Gen Jazz Hybrid or New Gen H-RV

Honda Cars India Limited has recently stated that the company will continue with its plans for India, regardless of the market slowdown

With the next-generation Honda City launched in India, the Japanese car giant will be focusing its efforts on electrifying its range, starting with a new hybrid vehicle for India. Unlike South Korean manufacturers Hyundai and Kia, Honda won’t be focusing on battery-powered EVs, due to the lacking infrastructure in our country and low EV sales volume.

The company has stated that it’s expecting a rise in consumer demand by the end of this fiscal year. Even with such a slow expected recovery, Honda will review all its investments planned for the near future, which includes the introduction of hybrid EVs in India.

Gaku Nakanishi, president and CEO of Honda Cars India recently said “There will be no change in our hybrid vehicle plan. Two years ago we shared the electrification strategy and we are going to start the production and sales of a hybrid vehicle next year. Internally, to launch a new model we have to plan almost 5 years ahead and we have almost spent 3-4 years. At the moment we don’t have any plans to postpone the project.”

Source

[SKC-auto]

Thank you Honda for bringing the hybrid cars at lower priced cars like Jazz. Also please be gracious enough to price within 2 times the actual car price.

If you are serious do give us PHEV at good price point, hybrid is no good, it's complex, costly and does not save much in fuel economy.

[JithinR]

Originally Posted by SKC-auto

If you are serious do give us PHEV at good price point, hybrid is no good, it's complex, costly and does not save much in fuel economy.

Agreed that the price increase might be high. But in a recent review of the new Jazz 1.5 eHev from CarWow youtube channel, I distinctly remember the mileage to be 61mpg. Other websites quote as much as 62.8mpg (WLTP standard). This is as good as some of the most fuel efficient diesel hatchbacks in our country, is it not?

Sources:

1. https://www.carwow.co.uk/honda/jazz
2. https://www.automotiveworld.com/news...-connectivity/

[sri_tesla]

Honda should rather launch the VE-1 all-electric vehicle (HRV EV) in India. It was released in China with prices starting from ~ Rs 17 lakhs and has 53.6 kWh battery and more than 300 kms of range.

https://www.electrive.com/2019/10/29...ered-in-china/

Knowing Honda, they will launch normal hybrid (not even plug-in one) and price it much higher than regular model.

[TejasKinger]

Well, if Honda's track record of the 2008 Civic Hybrid is anything to go by, then we can very well expect the Hybrid version of the car to cost 2x the regular petrol/diesel-burning version of the car.

For instance, in 2008, the Civic Hybrid was launched at a price of 21.5 L ex-showroom Delhi;
The 2008 Honda Civic Executive range was launched at a price between 10.8 and 12.66 L ex-showroom Delhi. That's clearly double the price for the hybrid version.

Source

[SKC-auto]

Originally Posted by JithinR

Agreed that the price increase might be high. But in a recent review of the new Jazz 1.5 eHev from CarWow Youtube channel, I distinctly remember the mileage to be 61mpg. Other websites quote as much as 62.8mpg (WLTP standard).

If they price it say more than 1 lakh than the diesel model that would be fine, but Honda will ask for a very high price.

Originally Posted by sri_tesla

Honda should rather launch the VE-1 all-electric vehicle (HRV EV) in India. It was released in China with prices starting from ~ Rs 17 lakhs and has 53.6 kWh battery and more than 300 kms of range.

This looks right but the price is after subsidy, what are the subsidies in China. I am sure in another 2 years Nexon like vehicle with 50kwh battery will sell for the same price.

Unless government brings some stricter policy like in Europe, these laggards do not bring EVs to India.

[Nithesh_M]

Ahh yes its the manufacturers fault that hybrids are taxed sky high even today let alone 2008.

[Reinhard]

Originally Posted by Nithesh_M

Ahh yes its the manufacturers fault that hybrids are taxed sky high even today let alone 2008.

Are hybrids taxed too high as a norm OR they are costlier if they are imported / the hybrid equipment is taxed higher if not made (or assembled) in India but imported from elsewhere?

You see I don't think the hybrids would be singled out to be taxed too high compared to gasoline / diesel engine cars. They tend to be costlier in base price because of too much imported content. Car makers are not ready to invest in setting up hybrid power-train assembly/manufacture in India because they feel the current EV push in policy-making may make hybrids redundant too soon and the return on investment won't materialize in time.

[Nithesh_M]

Honda and Toyota burnt their hands when they decided to launch their hybrid Accord and Camry here only for GST to arrive and increase taxes on hybrid cars from 30% to 43% which according to one conservative estimate added another 3 to 6 lakh rupees onto those cars.

https://www.financialexpress.com/aut...by-gst/714179/

[sv97]

Originally Posted by TejasKinger

Well, if Honda's track record of the 2008 Civic Hybrid is anything to go by, then we can very well expect the Hybrid version of the car to cost 2x the regular petrol/diesel-burning version of the car.

For instance, in 2008, the Civic Hybrid was launched at a price of 21.5 L ex-showroom Delhi;
The 2008 Honda Civic Executive range was launched at a price between 10.8 and 12.66 L ex-showroom Delhi. That's clearly double the price for the hybrid version.

Source

The reason for Honda launching it at almost twice the price was Honda Civic Hybrid was a CBU and the taxes for CBU's were/are around 110% that pushed up the price.

So, if Honda localizes the production the taxes are going to be only 43% so the price difference won't be as exaggerated as was in case of Civic Hybrid.

[DarthVeda]

Originally Posted by JithinR

Agreed that the price increase might be high. But in a recent review of the new Jazz 1.5 eHev from CarWow Youtube channel, I distinctly remember the mileage to be 61mpg. Other websites quote as much as 62.8mpg (WLTP standard). This is as good as some of the most fuel efficient diesel hatchbacks in our country, is it not?

If I am not mistaken the way they calculate those figures are like this
1. start the measure by having the battery fully charged
2. drive the car at low speed so that the battery gets consumed
3. next the fuel kicks in and powers the car,
4. Measure for distance with the consumption of said amount of fuel.

Since fuel consumption was 0 while the battery was being used, you get sky high efficiency figures. Let them do the test with the battery depleted and then we will see an increase of less than 10% to average fuel consumption.

[wheelguy]

ETAuto Exclusive: A chunk of senior executives opting for VRS at Honda Cars?

One of the most aspirational mass-market car brands, Honda had already been facing shrinking sales in India which is hit harder due to the pandemic. The company known for its strong HR policies has recently rolled out a Voluntary Retirement Scheme (VRS). According to sources a large number of senior and mid-level executives have opted for the scheme. The carmaker is providing them salary of 12 to 15 months along with assistance from an HR firm to secure them alternate jobs.

New Delhi: A good number of senior executives are going out of Japanese carmaker Honda Cars India under the Voluntary Retirement Scheme or VRS, initiated by the company, which has seen several key functionaries leaving the entity pointing to a grim scenario as the entire automobile industry grapples with some extremely tough market conditions.

Honda Cars India, the wholly-owned subsidiary of Japanese Honda Motor Company first time rolled out VRS scheme in January 2020 for plant workers. Sources suggest in the fresh VRS scheme some senior executives in the critical functions like marketing, sales, dealer-development, human resource and quality are opting for the scheme.

Honda's key executive list doing the rounds includes key functionaries like Sunil Gambhir in the Business Development/Corporate Affairs, Tanuj Singh Sandhu in dealer development department are other names in the fast stretching list of exits. Earlier in March, Honda Cars also announced restructuring where Rajiv Gupta, VP sales and marketing and Anil Baveja, General Manager, Marketing & Strategy were moved out from day to day activities and Kunal Behl took over as national sales and networks head.

In a long drawn exercise where the company know for being top heavy is reportedly targeting around 80-odd executives in the ongoing VRS to leave or exit the company rolls, the list extends to many senior executives who had spent decades with Honda and few almost from the inception.

This is the second VRS by Honda Car India in 2020 after it had launched employee exit options for its associates from the workforce in January earlier this year.

More at source.

[CARDEEP]

Taxation & Accounting Senior Staff movement doesn't signal good vibes to the former CFO in me.

Apparently something is not good at Honda India financially. I hope it doesn't goes Ford way, even though it's bread butter City & Amaze are holding out good. They need good products that can bring in the dough, & these two won't suffice IMO.