Honda is going to supercharge its operations in the Indian market. With sales going down month on month, Honda has worked on a all new strategy which will help the company be a major player in the Indian market.
Honda Motor Co aims to nearly double its global car sales to at least 6 million vehicles in four years and emerging markets like India will certainly play a very important role. Honda will concentrate on smaller and more affordable models for the Indian market. The Fit, or Jazz, subcompact car and its series, as well as the small car Brio and its series will be at the core of the company’s product lineup.
The company is likely to invest close to Rs. 3,200 crore to commence assembling diesel engines and introduce diesel variants in a bid to fast ramp up its operations in the country.
Honda will launch the diesel engine in 2014 and the Brio sedan will be the first to adopt the same. The all new diesel engine will be adopted sequentially to new models starting in FY2014 (fiscal year ending March 31, 2014). In addition to the high fuel efficiency, the cost competitiveness of the all-new diesel engine will be enhanced through local sourcing and local production to make new diesel models more affordable for customers.
The new diesel engine will be sequentially adopted to new models the company has scheduled for introduction in the market starting 2013-14. “The new diesel engine will be assembled at our second unit in Rajasthan. It will be fitted on the entry-level sedan slated for launch next year and on new models thereafter. It will not be adopted on to the existing products in our portfolio,” said Jnaneswar Sen, senior vice-president, sales and marketing, Honda Cars India.
Honda will introduce the all-new Fit (Jazz) series starting in 2013. Within two years after the initial market introduction of the all-new Fit in 2013, Honda will globally roll-out Fit (Jazz), City and a new small SUV model, each with different individual characteristics.
In Asia, in order to compete in and win in highly-competitive low-price markets and fulfill the diverse needs of customers,
in addition to the all-new Fit Series, Honda will add sedan-type and utility-type models utilizing the platform of the BRIO,
Honda’s strategic model for Asia.
