Honda Cars India Limited, a completely owned subsidiary of the Japanese auto major Honda Motor Co., is just weeks away from the launch of its Amaze compact sedan in the domestic car market. The grapevine is abuzz with rumours and speculations regarding the upcoming Honda Amaze, owing to the presence of a diesel-run engine under its hood. Evidently, the Amaze compact sedan is going to be the company's first diesel powered model in the country. Honda Cars India Limited is expected to launch its Amaze range in April 2013.
General Motors India Private Limited, the country's fifth largest passenger car seller, had introduced its Chevrolet Sail entry level sedan in the domestic market during February '13. Industry experts feel that the diesel trim of Chevy Sail could pose some stiff competition against the yet-to-be launched Honda Amaze diesel.
Coming to under-the-hood specifications of Chevrolet Sail diesel, the entry level sedan is powered by a 1.3 litre SDE SMARTECH engine that rolls out a maximum power output of 77 bhp, along with a peak torque delivery of 205 Nm. On other hand, the upcoming Honda Amaze diesel is anticipated to come fitted with a 1.5 litre i-DTEC engine, which is rumoured to deliver an impressive best-in-class power output close to 100 bhp. Hence, if the rumours are to be believed, the diesel variant of Amaze compact sedan has a clear chance of outsmarting Sail in terms of engine performance.
The pricing is going to play a major role in determining the success of Honda Amaze diesel in the domestic passenger car market. At present, the Chevy Sail is offered to domestic car buyers in the range starting from Rs. 6.3 lakh (for the base trim), which goes on till Rs. 7.5 lakh (for the top model). Sources suggest that Honda Amaze diesel could carry price tags between Rs. 6.5 lakh and Rs. 8 lakh. Hence, it is going to be interesting to see how the domestic audience reacts, when Honda Amaze and Chevrolet Sail indulge in a direct face off against each other this April.
