Talking to Autocar India earlier, Honda Cars India’s newly appointed President and CEO Katsushi Inoue stated that the 2016 Honda Accord is coming to India.
is coming to India. He also went on to say that the company is thinking about introducing the hybrid variant as well at a later stage. Now, Jnaneswar Sen, Senior Vice President of Marketing and Sales, Honda Cars India, has disclosed to the media that Honda Jazz hatchback is the only model in HCI’s pipeline for the current fiscal, and that 2016 Honda Accord is indeed planned to be launched in the sub-continent, in the first half of 2016, meaning second quarter of the calendar year. This indicates that Honda Accord premium sedan will be the first launch by the company in 2016.
The pre-facelift version of the current gen Honda Accord was showcased at the Auto Expo 2014.
Owing to a poor demand, the Honda Accord was discontinued in India in December 2013. A lack of diesel engine, rise of premium SUVs in the same price bracket and Honda’s strategy to focus more on the volume-oriented compact car segment (Brio to City) were the other contributing factors for the D-Segment sedan’s disappearance.
Honda India decided to give the new gen Accord which world premiered in 2013 a miss. However, since the upcoming launch of new Honda Jazzcompletes the car maker’s compact car portfolio in India, it has decided to take another shot at the premium sedan segment. The current generation Accord is due for a mid-life refresh in international markets later this year and we expect this facelift version to be launched in India.
The Hybrid variant is also being considered for India (image: old model).
The spacious premium saloon will continue to be a petrol only model, but in order to compete with the diesel powered rivals, Honda is planning to introduce the hybrid version. About 70% of the new Toyota Camry‘s Indian sales volume is contributed by the hybrid variant and the same could become the case with the new Accord.
The India-bound petrol variant is expected to be powered by a 2.4-litre engine which is mated either to a 6-speed manual or a CVT to produce 185 PS and 245 Nm. The Hybrid variant employs a 2.0-litre petrol motor that runs on Atkinson cycle and has system outputs of 196 PS and 306 Nm of torque.
Primary competitors will be the Toyota Camry, VW Passat and Skoda Superb.
The hybrid variant would take advantage of the government’s FAME project which offers incentives for hybrid and electric vehicles. Expect a price range of INR 23-28 lakhs (ex-showroom).
Source – Economic Times
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