[ranc]

Originally Posted by Maverick_x1

Agreed! But Cars giving 25KMPL Mileage?!?!
Or am I reading this wrong?

I guess all of them do that. The Diesel Verna, Logan, Fiesta, Dzire are all capable of giving 25 kmpl in ideal conditions, some of them even give that kind of mileage on Highways.

[diabloo]

I wish this Hybrid Civic is easily recognizable from normal Civics !!!

[sidharth_j]

Originally Posted by omishra

link ->
"It will be available at all our 80 dealersips across the country for test drive on the same day," said Masahiro Takedagawa, president and CEO of Honda Siel Cars India Ltd. He said, while the company does not expect to sell more than 300-400 cars in the first year, the idea is to give its Indian customers an experience of the car.

IMHO, Indians recognize VFM when they see one. And frankly, the Civic Hybrid ain't one. Honda must be dreaming if they expect 400 people to buy a grossly over priced car. Do they think that Indians will buy a Honda at ANY cost?

[noidaboy]

Saw a white colored one on the express way,could not take pix as it was on the other side of the road,looked similar to the normal civic,but it had crome alloys and a duck tail spoiler on the boot

[iTNerd]

hurray! So finally it is here. I would have bought one if they price it around 15-16 lacs bracket!! Anything more than that, it does not make economic sense. High time to discount tax on Hybrids!

[aaggoswami]

Civic hybrid will surely give better effeciency than what it manages to give in North America/Wester Europe. This is owing to traffic conditions.
But the price is too much and frankly at that price point, better products are available and no one would mind effeciency.

[adityamunshi]

Exactly, people who can afford 20L dont care about fuel efficiency. A hybrid civic @ 20L is more likely to sell as a pseudo status symbol than a real attempt at saving fuel.

What we need is a mid segment hybrid and that isnt possible unless an indian manufacturer launches a true hybrid. That would be the real great moment in Indian Automotive History.

Originally Posted by aaggoswami

Civic hybrid will surely give better effeciency than what it manages to give in North America/Wester Europe. This is owing to traffic conditions.
But the price is too much and frankly at that price point, better products are available and no one would mind effeciency.

[aaggoswami]

Originally Posted by adityamunshi

Exactly, people who can afford 20L dont care about fuel efficiency. A hybrid civic @ 20L is more likely to sell as a pseudo status symbol than a real attempt at saving fuel.

What we need is a mid segment hybrid and that isnt possible unless an indian manufacturer launches a true hybrid. That would be the real great moment in Indian Automotive History.

Yes and even if Honda manages to bring that price tag to 15-16lakh, it has to fight out with diesels like Laura and is close to Hyundai Sonata Diesel. And with now the diesel technology taken a leap ahead, at this price point, Civic hybrind doesnt make sense.

[Mpower]

Nothing more than a PR exercise and disastrous one. They are giving the message that Hybrids are super expensive while its the CBU route that is adding to the cost.

Ideally, Honda should have priced the Hybrid just like they would a diesel. 1-1.5 lakh premium. Take out leather, sunroof if necessary. This will deliver the message that petrol hybrid is an alternative to diesel.

PS: that engine in there is an NHC ka i-dsi(L13) with more goodies like cylinder deactivation

[santosh911]

guys, the general consensus is that the Civic Hybrid is too expensive but I feel that is not the issue. Such cars need to be encouraged and its only after people buy lots of them that the price can come down. My message to those lucky people who have 20L to spend, do consider the Hybrid. Proliferation of such cars reduces consumption by 25%. Every drop now counts!

[Vid6639]

Originally Posted by diabloo

What a lame excuse to put down a hybrid !!! I guess many think alike - so there are no tax benefits for hybrids in India.

That's not really a lame excuse. There are tyres in the market which compromise grip and ride comfort for mileage. While they don't do it by reducing the amount of tread, they do it by using a tread pattern and rubber composite which is not as sticky and also provides lower rolling resistance.

The best example was the Reva which when launched came with a very low rolling resistance tyre (i think it was a pirelli or a michelin) to achieve the 80kms distance on one charge. The normal tyres would not do more than 60kms.

[coolbareilly]

As far as I remember, there was an article in TOI Delhi, Honda has announced the availability of Hybrid Civic by end June 2008. Honda will initially get 300 cars imported. The Civic Hybrid will be introduced as CBU. It will be manufactured in their Thailand facility and will be imported.

But the fact is, the Hybrid will only be successfull in India on highways, as city driving in ANY city is very paethetic . To have full advantage of Hybrid, we should be able to drive car at constant speed. As speed varies, the electric motor turns off and petrol engine turns ON.

[SumitBahl]

I visited Harmony Honda, Chandigarh today, they said they already have 6 bookings.

Offtopic: New accord is amazingly big. There was a one standing with the body kit and rear spoiler and some other accessories worth 96k. It was in black color and it looked HOT.

[aaggoswami]

Originally Posted by SumitBahl

I visited Harmony Honda, Chandigarh today, they said they already have 6 bookings.

These booking really surprises me . Any idea about cost of the vehicle ?

[Screwdriva]

Originally Posted by coolbareilly

But the fact is, the Hybrid will only be successfull in India on highways, as city driving in ANY city is very paethetic . To have full advantage of Hybrid, we should be able to drive car at constant speed. As speed varies, the electric motor turns off and petrol engine turns ON.

You obviously do not have a full understanding of Hybrid technology. The HCH and the Prius use their electric motors primarily at speeds < 50 kmph. Above those speeds, they rely on the Atkinson cycle powerplant for efficiency. The result is GREAT efficiency on both driving cycles.

The weakness you describe is pertinent only to diesel cars.