Honda Car India has opened bookings for the soon-to-be-launched Amaze; the compact sedan based on the Brio hatchback.
The Amaze will be the company’s first diesel offering in the country. The all-new Amaze is powered by a new 1.5-litre i-DTEC 4-cylinder diesel engine making 100 PS of power at a low 3,600 rpm and a considerable 200 Nm of torque, available from 1,750 rpm. A five-speed manual transmission sends power to the front wheels. The other significant figure is the rated fuel economy figure of 25.8 km/litre. Honda also believe that with this new diesel engine, they have achieved refinement levels comparable to petrol engines.
Honda’s new diesel engine is based on their 1.6-litre unit for Europe; one of the first fruits of their Earth Dreams program. The engine which will arrive in India uses a reduced stroke to bring down the displacement to the meet the critical 1.5-litre cut-off for small car engines and benefit from lower excise duty. It also employs a fixed-geometry turbocharger as against a variable-geometry unit on the 1.6.
The Honda Amaze is expected to have a price tag starting from Rs 6 lakh. This is the first model in what is sure to be Honda’s diesel onslaught against established competitors; pitted against the likes of the Maruti-Swift D-Zire, Toyota Etios, Chevrolet Sail and Mahindra Verito. The petrol version of the Amaze powered by the 1.2-litre engine will also go on sale soon.
