Honda’s Maruti Ertiga challenger Mobilio to land up in India this July

Ever since Honda Cars India showcased its Mobilio MPV at the 2014 Indian Auto Expo, the vehicle has been one of the most highly awaited cars in India at present. The Utility vehicle market has been booming in India and the MPVs or Multi-purpose Vehicles are really popular in the domestic car market. The current exceedingly popular compact MPV is the Maruti Suzuki Ertiga which is the highest selling model in the compact MPV segment at present. However, it is thought that as soon as the Honda Mobilio MPV arrives in the Indian car market, the Ertiga will lose its position to this new upcoming car. It has been speculated that Honda will launch the Mobilio just before the onset of the festive season this year, probably in the month of September. However, now it is known that the vehicle will hit the Indian market in July, 2014.

The Honda Mobilio MPV is already launched in the Indonesian car market early this year, where the vehicle has outshone the Suzuki Ertiga which had been one among the top 5 vehicles in the Indonesian market. It is though that the more premium, stylish and able Mobilio will be outshining the Maruti Ertiga in India as well, once its launches here provided it is priced reasonably.

The Honda Mobilio MPV is based on the very versatile Brio hatchback’s platform, of course in an elongated version. The Mobilio is not under 4 meter length and thus will not enjoy excise duty benefits. The Mobilio is a 4.4 meters long vehicle and Honda says that it has not compromised on the length to offer more space and comfort as well as storage space in this vehicle as is expected from a quality MPV. However, the car will be compact enough to make it an easy to drive on the city roads and for convenient parking.

Honda has a patent superior styling and material strategy that shows in the Mobilio as well. The vehicle gets superior exterior styling and great interior space as well. The car manufacturer believes that MPV customers in India will appreciate great style, space and comfort as well. Honda has is known for its good interior packaging prowess and has offered great interiors with the Amaze and new City sedan, and the same is expected in Mobilio as well.

The Honda Mobilio MPV will be offered in both petrol as well as diesel engine. It will get the 1.5 litre petrol and diesel engines that drive the new City sedan. A 5 speed manual gearbox is standard for both petrol and diesel variants, while a CVT automatic transmission option for the petrol model.

Similar to most of the recent Honda product offerings, the Mobilio is also expected to offer class leading performance and great fuel efficiency capabilities. However, this MPV is not expected to win the price war especially with the affordably priced Maruti Ertiga MPV. The Mobilio is expected to have a starting price of about Rs. 6.2 lakhs.