Weak demand has forced Honda to begin a phase-out its flagship sedan, the Accord, from India. The company’s focus would stay on the smaller high volume models, as it aims to become a strong player across the market. The company could bring the next generation (the ninth) of the Accord – due for a global launch in 2014 – to India, though the date is yet to be worked out. We’ve already been behind the wheel of the new Accord Hybrid in Japan and found it to be quite an improvement.
The Accord has suffered with the absence of a diesel variant and the shift in preference towards the German marques – Audi, BMW and Mercedes-Benz. Honda sold just 272 units of the Accord in the first eight months of the current fiscal. The Civic too was phased out last year as it lost ground to the Hyundai Elantra, Toyota Corolla Altis and Chevrolet Cruze, all of which have diesel variants.
The company would however continue to focus on premium SUVs, where sales of the CR-V (priced from Rs 20.59 – 24.67 lakh) increased four-fold in the first eight months of the fiscal, from 186 units sold last year. The SUV market grew 8% to 16,016 units between April and November.
Story: Gaurav Nagpal
