[shashanka]

All very nice - proper hybrid, twin motor, 315 nm torque + all the cute little gizmos that gets us all drooling (despite the ~40L asking price for a soon to be last season's flavor!) to get our hands on it! But at the end of the day - FWD for something in this WB (~2.7m) and price range!?
As a commentator in a recent MotorBeam article (for the 2017 Passat launch) remarked ".....not many Indian customers care whether they get a FWD or RWD car in the 30-50/60L bracket." For dedicated gearheads (yours truly among them) that says it all!

[M00M]

I was looking forward to the launch of the Accord Hybrid to replace my Honda City but at 40 lacs ex factory all those hopes are out of the window. Suddenly the Superb diesel at 39 and the Camry hybrid at 38 look more attractive. Way to go Honda. Kill the brand and drive away your loyal customers. All the hoopla of it being a CBU doesnt fly with me, case in point Volvo India who despite being CBU prices their cars extremely competitively.

[fordfreak]

The new Accord would have been the ideal replacement for my Passat. But no way would I be crazy enough to pay 40+ for this! Going by the pictures, the car looks absolutely fantastic. I really wish Honda had assembled it locally and thus, been able to price it better.

Oh well, I guess we just have to wait for the next generation Accord to get something that is more reasonably priced.

[RavenAvi]

The two main reasons given by Yoichiro Ueno, President & CEO, Honda Cars India, on the possible high pricing of the Accord hybrid, are:

- similar subsidy benefits for both mild hybrid and fully hybrid vehicles under the FAME scheme.
- imported CBU models are not included in the FAME scheme.

The company, which is set to launch Accord hybrid in the country later this month, said the subsidies offered to hybrid vehicles currently under the FAME scheme in the current form are not sufficient.

"There are different levels of hybrid technologies some are mild systems while some full hybrid systems. I think it is necessary to differentiate, otherwise the cost difference is there."

When asked if the FAME scheme is adequate to push hybrid vehicles or the government needs to do more to promote hybrid vehicles in the country, Ueno said: "It's not enough to cover the cost difference of the hybrid vehicles." He added that initial government support is necessary for hybrid vehicles to succeed in a country.

"If I see other countries, hybrid technologies initially needed some government support. In most of the countries government initially supported with some reduced taxes or incentive to the customer," he said.

Government is also concerned about environmental issues and can give some support to hybrid vehicles and it will be very helpful to accelerate penetration of such vehicles in the country, he added.

ET

[shashanka]

Originally Posted by M00M

i was looking forward to the launch of the Accord Hybrid to replace my Honda City but at 40 lacs ex fac all those hopes are out of the window. suddenly the superb diesel at 39 and the camry hybrid at 38 look more attractive. Way to go Honda. Kill the brand and drive away your loyal customers. All the hoopla of it being a CBU doesnt fly with me, case in point volvo india who being CBU, prices their cars extremely competitively.

Originally Posted by fordfreak

The new Accord would have been the ideal replacement for my Passat. But no way would I be crazy enough to pay 40+ for this! Going by the pictures, the car looks absolutely fantastic. I really wish Honda had assembled it locally and thus, been able to price it better.
Oh well, I guess we just have to wait for the next generation Accord to get something that is more reasonably priced.

The above says it all! My VFM sense - as I'm sure that of others too - is discouraged by the discrepancy in prices between the Camry & Accord hybrids. Plus, over the years, Honda has certainly been more successful in India than Toyota (which, apart from the relative success of the Innova & Fortuner, did not see the kind of runaway success of the City). So what prevented Honda from taking the CKD route like Toyota & avail of the price benefits from this method?

Originally Posted by RavenAvi

The two main reasons given by Yoichiro Ueno, President & CEO, Honda Cars India, on the possible high pricing of the Accord hybrid, are:
- similar subsidy benefits for both mild hybrid and fully hybrid vehicles under the FAME scheme.
- imported CBU models are not included in the FAME scheme.
ET

I feel that such convoluted gobbledegook sounds (to the averagely informed citizen certainly) very much like just what it is - hot air & lame excuses!

[itwasntme]

Honda India has traditionally screwed their own interests consistently.

Remember when they refused to get their acclaimed diesel engine to India as our diesel was too dirty?

Then they climbed big time on the diesel bandwagon years too late and are now bitterly complaining of policy change by GoI.

Add refusal to get the Civic to India and now getting a older Accord to India at an inflated price (that too only a hybrid) just as it is due for replacement next year!

Only Honda fanatics will buy such models.

[dkaile]

40 lacs for the Accord!!! What was Honda smoking! The cars dead on arrival and will serve no more purpose than a mannequin. Disappointed...

[volkman10]

Honda Accord Hybrid launched at Rs 37 lakhs (Ex-Delhi)

It comes equipped with Honda’s two motor hybrid system - Sport Hybrid Intelligent Multi Mode Drive (i-MMD) combined with an ultra-efficient 2.0-liter i-VTEC Atkinson Cycle engine. It churns out 215 PS power and 23.1km/l mileage.

Being a CBU, the new Accord fails to qualify for benefits under the government’s FAME scheme, something that its chief rival, the locally-assembled Toyota Camry Hybrid avails of.

At Rs 37 lakh, the pricing of the Accord puts it more in league with the BMW 3-series, Mercedes C-class and Audi A4.

Its direct rival, the Camry Hybrid however is a whopping Rs 6.1 lakh cheaper thanks to the FAME scheme and local assembly

Source

[Karthik Chandra]

First drive by ACI

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8gzFDVZxi_s

Verdict: Honda has priced the Accord out of the game

[LandCruiser]

Does Honda Accord at this price have a market in India? 43L on road is Audi/BMW territory.

http://auto.ndtv.com/news/honda-acco...ome-topstories

[Muski]

Originally Posted by LandCruiser

Does Honda Accord at this price have a market in India? 43L on road is Audi/BMW territory.

http://auto.ndtv.com/news/honda-acco...ome-topstories

One reason why this is so expansive is that it is introduced via CBU route instead of assembly in India like Camry which leads to less overall taxes.

Moreover Camry also gets incentive from GOI under FAME scheme.

http://www.fame-india.gov.in/ModelUnderFame.aspx

[LandCruiser]

Originally Posted by volkman10

It comes equipped with Honda’s two motor hybrid system - Sport Hybrid Intelligent Multi Mode Drive (i-MMD) combined with an ultra-efficient 2.0-liter i-VTEC Atkinson Cycle engine. It churns out 215 PS power and 23.1km/l mileage.



Source

Honda still do not have a dual clutch automatic? Accord seems to be a model Honda launches with all fanfare and withers away soon and within 1-2 years they stop sales. Similar story with CRV as well. What with with Honda and that big flat chrome bar as front grille across all their models. Looks outright stupid design.

Honda seem to be just happy with selling the City. They do not seem pretty serious with cars above the City's segment especially in India.

[dZired]

The 2016 Honda Accord Hybrid has been launched in India at a price of Rs. 37 lakh (ex-showroom Delhi). It will be brought into the country through the CBU route. The Accord will initially be available through select Honda dealers, while a decision to introduce it at all dealerships will likely be taken after seeing customer response.

The Accord launched in India is the ninth-generation model. The car's front fascia is characterized by a large chrome grille, which is flanked by full LED lights on both sides. The headlight assemblies also house LED Daytime Running Lamps. The 18-inch alloys get diamond cut treatment. The tail end features LED combination tail lights and a spoiler integrated on the boot lid. It will be available in four colour options: White Orchid Pearl, Lunar Silver Metallic, Modern Steel Metallic, and Crystal Black Pearl.

On the inside, the Accord adorns a dual-tone black and beige theme. The centre console gets two screens; one for the infotainment system and the other for displaying engine modes and drive transmission system. The infotainment system is compatible with Android Auto and Apple CarPlay. Other features on offer include two-stage climate control, cruise control, active noise cancellation, remote pre-cooling and pre-heating of the cabin, and electronic sunroof. There is a passenger side camera that streams its output to the infotainment system's screen to aid the driver while manoeuvring the car through tight spots.

The Accord Hybrid's powertrain consists of a 2.0-litre petrol engine that is capable of developing 145 BHP and 175 Nm of torque. This petrol engine works in combination with two electric motors; one powering the front wheels and the other supplying juice to the rear. The cumulative power output figure of the Accord Hybrid is rated at 212 BHP. Honda claims a fuel economy figure of 23.1 kmpl.

There are three driving modes on offer: EV, Hybrid and Engine. In EV mode, the car only runs on electric energy from the battery. The Accord can cover only 2 kilometers on pure electric power. The Hybrid mode employs the petrol engine as the generator, which transmits power to the electric motors that in turn drive the wheels. In this mode, the battery too can supply power to the motors, depending on driving requirements. The Engine driving mode uses only the petrol engine to drive the wheels, as the car functions like a conventional petrol vehicle.

It is worth noting that Honda Accord Hybrid is around Rs. 6 lakh more expensive than its chief rival - the Toyota Camry Hybrid. At a price tag of Rs. 37 lakh, the Accord has been placed closer to the likes of the BMW 3 Series, Mercedes-Benz C-Class and Audi A4. Moreover, prices in cities other than Delhi are a bit high due to lack of any subsidy on green vehicles. Hence, the Accord costs Rs. 40,14,047 in Navi Mumbai and Rs. 40,57,485 in Bangalore.

Link to Team-BHP News

[karan561]

And we were thinking that the Camry Hybrid was overpriced

Also i think they have taken the liberty to price so high probably because they would be having market information that the to be launched VW Passat GTE will be priced higher than this.

It will be interesting to see if Honda launch the regular petrol variant later.

[samy1117]

Ridiculous Pricing..!

Honda again price itself out of the market. IMHO, if someone has that much money to spare, he/she would definitely go for Audi, BMW or Mercedes. Though Hybrid is good for environment and reduce fuel costs little, that alone cannot justify the pricing given what luxury makers are currently offering in India and the fuel savings are very trivial for the buyers in this segment.

Both Honda and Toyota, don't have that exclusive luxury brand image whatever they might offer with their premium cars. Its like Micromax trying to be Apple. This is dead on arrival for Honda. Skoda Superb looks more VFM now.