Next-generation Honda City expected to perform well in India

 

Over the years, Honda Cars India has built a reputation of manufacturing vehicles that are high in terms of performance and comfort. The company has enjoyed a vast amount of success in the Indian car market particularly due to its City sedan. The car that is cherished by quite a few is one of the favourite mid-size sedans to feature in India. The hike in petrol prices have impacted the sales figures of Honda City since the car is not offered in a diesel version. Now, the next-generation model is expected to replicate the success of older generation ones. As expected, the 2014 version of City shall make inroads in India powered by petrol and diesel units. Rumours are doing the rounds that the upcoming City would arrive in showrooms in India by January 2014, bearing a new shape and design. So as the launch date is nearing, car enthusiasts are getting all more excited about the design and features of upcoming Honda City.

The first and foremost exciting new addition in upcoming Honda City would be its availability in a diesel version. It was highly expected from the company as the ‘rapid dieseling’ of the Indian car market resulted in the plummeting of Honda City petrol sales. According to sources, the car would be offered with a 1.5-litre i-DTEC engine, which currently powers Amaze sedan but in differently tuned outputs. Apart from this, the 1.5-litre i-VTEC powertrain of City shall be offered with numerous advancements in order to give away superlative performance.

The other striking new feature of upcoming Honda City would be its new philosophy named as "EXCITING H DESIGN!!!". Under this, the three design factors, namely, High Technology, High Tension and High Touch represent the company’s aim to achieve a balanced body structure along with superior technology embedded in all of its vehicles. The new design concept was first seen in Fit model, which has already made its debut in major international markets. As reported, the upcoming Honda City is based on the same design platform.

On taking inspiration from the Fit model, the next generation Honda City would bear numerous designing changes as the front fascia will hold elongated wraparound clear lens headlamps along with projector lights and a sportier new grille. At the rear, new LED taillights along with running creases that will extend till the boot of the car are going to add to its styling.

Also to mention, the mileage figures for the upcoming petrol and diesel versions of Honda City are expected to be bit higher as compared to the current variants. Riding on the Earth Dreams Technology, the upcoming sedan of Honda shall give away best-in-class fuel efficiency as compared to its rivals.

Also the pricing might well work for Honda in its favour as reports are citing that the upcoming car cost significantly low. Industry experts are betting high that the base variant of Honda City petrol could cost around Rs. 7 lakh while the introductory diesel trim might get carry a price tag of Rs. 8 lakh. If this happens, then Honda would definitely have an edge over its rivals considering the kind of brand value the company has in India. In addition, Honda is likely to carry forward the good work done by Amaze sedan and the much acclaimed Earth Dreams diesel technology.

India car sales seen falling in FY-14

Car sales in India are expected to fall in the current financial year that ends in March, an industry body said, marking a second straight year of decline, as high interest rates and a slowing economy force consumers to delay purchases.

Automakers sold 163,199 cars in India last month, a drop of 3.9 percent from a year earlier, data from the Society of Indian Automobile Manufacturers (SIAM) showed.

SIAM had estimated in April that car sales would grow by 3-5 percent this year, but has indicated in recent months that they may fall instead.

Car sales had declined continuously in the first nine months of the year, said Vishnu Mathur, director general at SIAM.

"Now the decline is moderating, so if it keeps on moderating at this pace maybe we'll see zero growth in January-February," said Mathur.

"Definitely the year will be negative," he added Sales of motorcycles rose 18.1 percent in October to a record 1.1 million, helped by festive season demand and strong sales in rural regions, where incomes were boosted by good monsoon rains.

The September to December months, marked by a number of festivals, are considered by many Indians to be an auspicious period to make big-ticket purchases.

Truck and bus sales were down 19.8 percent at 53,533 units, SIAM said.

Meagre urban salary hikes in an economy growing at its slowest pace in a decade, combined with high interest rates and fuel costs has dimmed the near-term outlook for the Indian auto industry. Some analysts have pushed back forecasts for a sustained recovery to the next financial year.

Jeep Wrangler

If you have a penchant for adventure on wheels and think about going to places where few would dare to wander we have just the right set of wheels for you. Presenting the Jeep Wrangler Unlimited Sahara!

A lot of purists were waiting for this one. In fact a very dear friend of mine had been pestering me on a weekly basis about the arrival of the iconic Jeep products. So when I told him that I had managed to get my hands on a Wrangler, it was pretty much like a wet dream coming true for the guy. Now Jeep has a barrage of models which it has brought to India. While the 2-door Wrangler Sport boasts a massive 3.6 litre Pentastar V6, the one we have here is the more apt for our market, Wrangler Unlimited Sahara. While a big V6 engine and small insides are a big no-no, a long wheelbase, lots of legroom and diesel mated to an automatic transmission sounds just right. So how does the big Jeep go about its business here in Indian conditions? Let’s find out…

Iconic Design

The Germans aren’t uniquely capable of tastefully refining an iconic shape redesign after redesign, decade after decade. The current Wrangler isn’t a cartoonish “retro” reinterpretation of a classic vehicle from the distant past. Like a Porsche 911, it’s a special purpose iconic vehicle that has undergone an uninterrupted evolution over the years. Unchanged since the 2007 redesign, the exterior retains an unmistakable resemblance to the original Jeep. Form relentlessly follows function. The Sahara’s chunky five-spoke 17-inch alloys, look fantastic even though it’s a very simple design. Unlike with some supposed off-road vehicles, you’ll find no mere rim protectors here.

There’s no “DUB Edition.” Given the 2007’s increased width, the four-door actually has better proportions than the two-door.  While on the whole it might not be as attractive as a Freelander or a Q3, it’s the details that set the Wrangler apart. There are the classically rugged hood latches, high impact fender flares and rugged bumpers that enhance the formidable look while the Wrangler's round halogen headlamps still hold true to its original design, flanking its equally iconic seven-slot grille for that genuine Jeep brand expression. Now this might seem like a hardtop, but unscrew a few allen screws, yank out all four doors (will take a little effort though) and you have the perfect Dune buggy. Even the windshield can folded and rested on the bonnet like a typical jeep. Versatility at its best. All said and done, the Jeep might not be a beauty, but no one with any appreciation for design (as opposed to “styling”) can fail to find it attractive.  

Jaguar C-X17 SUV review

From the driver's seat you look over the Jaguar C-X17’s lumpy bonnet, rather than down it as usual, yet this car could only be a Jaguar. It may offer a different view of the road from that of any other Jaguar ever built, but there's enough evidence in those shapes over which you're seeing the road to remove the need for any kind of label.

The middle of the bonnet has a reassuring power bulge, not identical to any other Jaguar's but strongly related. At either side, two gentle curves gracefully intersect at the car's frontal extremity, one pair gliding across the top of each headlight, the other describing the muscle that runs above each front wheel. 

This is the latest iteration of C-X17, the concept version of the all-wheel-drive "sports crossover" Jaguar will surely launch in two or three years' time off the enormously expensive all-aluminium architecture in which it is pouring every earned pound - and then some - to build a viable future among the world's premium car manufacturers

When I ask whether the new aluminium structure lurks beneath the elegant skin of this particular prototype, engineer Graham Wilkins, vehicle engineering manager for the cars that will use this new architecture tell me it is not much more than an engineering lash-up. "It has a supercharged XK engine," he says, "and it has four-wheel drive. It's not the real thing, but more of a bespoke experiment. What's important is it proves the car can look that good, yet all the new stuff would fit under there. That's as important as having it in place."

Jaguar high-ups have been in two minds about how to treat the C-X17 ever since it first broke cover two months ago. For some, it's a way of showing that the F-type's design style can extend to one automotive extremity - sports cars - to the other, SUVs, while encompassing saloons and estates on the day. Ergo, Jaguar can build whatever cars its R&D department believes the market will take.

Others feel this concentration on design style obscures the significance of the wholesale change to aluminium, a programme costing many millions that will affect every Jaguar ever made from now on. It is becoming apparent that this is not merely a compact architecture Jaguar is building but the basis of its entire future range - looking ahead for two decades and more.

Gingerly, I climb into the car. First thing you see through the cabin door are the elegantly simple seats in saddle leather, reminiscent of those from the original E-type, whose beauty and simplicity has stayed with us for 50 years.

There is bright work, but the effect is simplicity: a generously proportioned pair of round dials ahead, a high centre console running right through the car which, fascinatingly, can turn itself into a screen, a louvered light shade above that plays patterns on the lower interior, and a simple raked fascia with a metal trim-piece at its trailing edge, with 'Jaguar' embossed above the console. 

The essential "volumes" of the interior are as they might be in production, says Jaguar advanced design chief Julian Thomson, who is proud of what his team achieved, but the colour and trim are, in essence, experiments.

The car may look slick, but the crudity of its under-bits come instantly into focus as we begin to roll. Prototypes are usually like that. Before I go, an engineer lurking in the rear selects Drive with a Tommy-bar mysteriously inserted in a hole in the console.  

Honda New City Diesel

Honda New City Diesel Preview

Honda is believed to have recently reduced production of the City in a bid to free up assembly line space for the Amaze diesel. However, a more plausible and well known reason is that Honda will unveil a completely new version for the global markets, in India, on November 25. It is expected to get a new design and also be offered with a diesel engine giving Honda a firm chance to book itself a place in the C-Segment of the Indian car market.

Exterior

The 2014 Honda City is expected to imbibe many features of the ‘Exciting Design H!!’ language that characterises the recently unveiled Jazz/Fit premium hatchback. It is expected to get a similar fascia but like the Amaze and the Brio, we believe that Honda will modify the grille slightly to differentiate both cars. Honda could also retain the same side profile and rear end as the current car but with sportier touches. New exterior design features are likely to include LED brake lights (like the ones found on the Accord) and new design for the alloy wheels and indicators mounted on the OVRMs.

Honda is believed to have increased the length and consequently the wheelbase in a bid to increase interior space. We hope that it will adapt the same lines as the current car but in a more sportier design in a bid to make the City appealing to a wider audience. However, the reality is that apart from spy shots of heavily camouflaged cars spotted testing in China, we have no idea of what the car looks like. There is also no official word from the Japanese automaker on the unveiling of the car so we can only speculate on what the new model will be like at this moment.

Interiors

Inside, we expect that much of the design elements will be taken from the new Jazz/Fit due it being based on the principles of the design language as well as in a bid to keep the costs down. However, for the Indian markets, we expect that Honda will retain many of the features and design elements from the current car. This means a black dashboard, beige upholstery for the lower spec models and leather for the top-end diesel and petrol variants. The rear seats are now likely to get a blower and bottle holders making it only the third car in the segment to do so.

Feature list

The City despite being a well-known face in the C-Segment had to always contend with having a rather small feature list as compared to its rivals. Eventually to counter this, Honda introduced the AVN package with the top spec V variants. This is now likely to become a standard feature in the top spec diesel and petrol variants of the new car.

Variants

The new Honda City will get all the standard variants that are there in the current car. We believe that there will also be a new top spec VX variant which will be available with both engines and gearbox options.

Engines

The bit we are most interested in is that Honda is likely to offer the new City with the same 1.5-litre i-DTEC diesel engine that powers the Amaze sedan. It is expected to have the same output as the Amaze and this means 98bhp and 200Nm of torque. The engine is mated to a five-speed manual gearbox. However, there is also a possibility that Honda may introduce the 1.6-litre i-DTEC engine which is in the recently launched UK spec CR-V diesel. It produces 116bhp and 300Nm of torque, a respectable figure for a C-Segment sedan. The petrol on the other hand will continue to be powered by the 1.5-litre i-VTEC mill that produces 116bhp and 146Nm of torque. It is mated to a five-speed manual or a five-speed automatic.

When do we get to see it on the roads?

Reports suggest that Honda dealers have already started taking bookings for the new City but deliveries are only expected to begin just ahead of the 2014 Indian Auto Expo. The City is expected to have a high amount of localisation and may be exported to many other countries from the Indian plant. It is likely to be priced in the range of Rs 7.5 lakh to Rs 11.50 lakh for the top spec diesel variant.

When launched, the new Honda City will compete in the C+segment with the Renault Scala, Nissan Sunny, Chevrolet Sail, Fiat Linea, Ford Fiesta, Hyundai Verna, Skoda Rapid and the Volkswagen Vento. Honda is expected to offer the diesel engines only in the S, V and most likely a VX variants all of which will be priced Rs 1 lakh more than their petrol equivalents