The Honda Amaze has been a strong seller in the compact sedan segment. One of the main reasons for the car's success is its fuel efficient engines. With fuel efficiency figures of 18 kpl and 25 kpl for the petrol and diesel respectively, the car is known to be very frugal. Now Honda is rumoured to be developing a new variant of the Brio-based sedan, which will use CNG.

The CNG variant is expected to use the same 1.2-litre, i-VTEC engine as the petrol car and is likely to have a company-fitted CNG kit with warranty and service benefits. The CNG-petrol combination is likely to make the car even more fuel efficient than it already is. The Amaze CNG is likely to be priced higher than the petrol version.

Recently, Honda had announced that it has sold more than 1,00,000 units of the Amaze in India. The car achieved this milestone in sixteen months since its launch in April 2013 and made it the fastest car to breach the 1 lakh mark in the company's history.

Source: Motorbash

Honda Cars India Limited has announced that it has sold more than 1,00,000 units of the Amaze compact sedan in India. The Brio-based sedan has achieved this milestone in sixteen months since its launch in April 2013. This has made it the fastest car to breach the 1 lakh mark in the company's history.

The Amaze was Honda's first diesel car in India. It was also the company's first sub-4 metre sedan. The Amaze is available with a 1.2-litre petrol or a 1.5-litre diesel engine. In India, any car with a combination of this length and engine capacities entitles it to avail of excise duty benefits, which has helped in keeping its price relatively low. Additionally, the car has good reliability and low maintenance costs.

The Honda Amaze competes against the segment-leading Maruti Suzuki Dzire and the Hyundai Xcent. The competition in this segment is about to get fiercer with the Tata Zest's launch just around the corner. Ford is also expected to join the fight with the Figo compact sedan.

Honda has a sales and distribution network of 180 facilities in 115 cities spread across the country. The company plans to expand this network to 230 outlets in 150 cities by the end of 2014-15.

Honda Cars India has announced that it has sold 88,000 units of the Amaze sedan in India. The Brio-based sedan has achieved this milestone in just one year in since its launch in April 2013 till May 2014.

The Amaze is Honda's first sub-4 metre sedan. The car's comes with a 1.2-litre petrol or a 1.5-litre diesel engine. In India, any car with a combination of this length and engine capacities entitles it to avail of excise duty benefits, which helped keep its price low. Additionally, the car has good reliability and low maintenance costs. Honda claims that the combination of these factors makes the Amaze a good 'value for money' proposition in the eyes of the people.

Commenting on the success of the car, Jnaneshwar Sen, Senior Vice President, marketing & Sales, Honda Cars India Limited said, "Honda Amaze has been a game changer in its segment and has enabled HCIL to reach out to so many new customers, bringing them into the Honda fold."

The Honda Amaze competes against the segment-leading Maruti Suzuki Dzire and the recently launched Hyundai Xcent.

Waiting periods for Honda Cars India's Amaze compact sedan could reduce in the coming months. The Japanese car maker will add a third shift to the production line at its Greater Noida factory from November 2013. On an average, Honda is selling 5,500 units of the Amaze each month while the order backlog stands at 20,000 units. 

The impending festive season could further inflate the order book and push up waiting periods. At present, Honda produces 440 cars each day, through 2 shifts at its Greater Noida factory. The third shift is expected to be shorter than the first two shifts. For now, Honda has not revealed the exact numbers by which it plans to boost numbers of the Amaze sedan.

The third shift is expected to cut waiting times for the Brio-platform based Amaze compact sedan by 2 months. Currently, certain variants of the Honda Amaze command waiting periods of 4-5 months, which will be cut to 2-3 months once the new shift is added. 

Turbo diesel engined variants on offer and a high degree of localization leading to competitive pricing, have been two important factors contributing to this car's success in India. A comeback model for Honda, the Amaze has gone on to become a best seller for the Japanese car brand. The car is available with petrol and turbo diesel engine options.

Digging into its parts bin, Honda has outfitted the petrol powered Brio with the 1.2 liter i-VTEC motor while the diesel engine is an all new affair in the form of the 1.5 liter i-DTEC turbo diesel unit. The 1.5 liter i-DTEC "EarthDreams" diesel engine is a derivative of the 1.6 liter i-DTEC that Honda uses in the Euro-spec Civic and CR-V models. 

The light weight diesel engine is an all-aluminium affair. A 5 speed manual gearbox is standard on the Amaze and a 5 speed automatic gearbox is offered on select variants of the petrol engined model. The Amaze competes head on with the Maruti Suzuki Dzire, India's best selling sedan.

The Honda Amaze has been one of the bright spots in the Indian car market for 2013, even as car sales in India continue to be very subdued. The Amaze is the second car to be spawned out of the Brio platform. Next year, Honda is expected to launch an MPV based on the Brio platform in India.

The Maruti Ertiga rivaling MPV will be the third car under the Brio platform for India, after the hatchback and sedan models. The Brio-based MPV is expected to share its engine and transmission line up with the Amaze. High local content is likely. Primed for a launch in Indonesia first, the car will be officially unveiled at this year's Indonesian International Motor Show. 

Source TheHinduBusinessLine