Honda Cars India is having a great time in the domestic car market of India with record growth in sales. Currently the third largest car maker in India (in terms of monthly sales in July, 2014), Honda Cars India Limited (HCIL) has much bigger dreams and wishes to bring down India’s largest car maker Maruti Suzuki sometime in the future. The Japanese car major is working very hard in that direction as well.

Honda India is launching new car models all pointed that damaging the high popularity of some of the bestselling car models of Maruti Suzuki and Hyundai India (the second largest car maker). Honda’s all new City sedan has been successful in overthrowing the segment leader Hyundai Verna, and the newly launched Mobilio MPV is also expected to outshine the high selling Maruti Ertiga pretty soon. Honda also has the all new Jazz premium up its sleeves which will compete with the likes of Maruti Swift and all new Hyundai Elite i20 post its market launch.

The Japanese premium car major Honda having accomplished on the more expensive segments, is now eyeing the mini, cost effective hatchback segment in India. No matter how developed and matured the Indian car market has become, it still is the heaven for small, fuel efficient and affordable cars, and Honda wants to cash in this lucrative segment and give the small car king Maruti Suzuki a tough fight.

In its attempt to beat Maruti and Hyundai in the small car race, Honda India is reportedly busy working on a new entry level cheap hatchback model to sit below the Honda Brio. The Brio is Honda’s current entry level hatch and by far the cheapest in the portfolio. The new small hatchback model is aimed to be cheaper, more fuel efficient and low maintenance to suite the Indian mass market.

The new upcoming Honda mini car is speculated to be powered by a new 1.0 liter petrol engine that is under development. According to the reports of a reputed Indian journal the new Honda petrol motor would be available in both naturally aspirated and turbocharged versions.

The naturally aspirated version of the under development petrol mill is expected to power the upcoming Honda mini hatchback which is expected to launch in 2017. It is expected to be a 3-cylinder offshoot of the Brio’s 1.2 liter 4-cylinder i-VTEC mill, imitating Maruti Suzuki’s K-Series petrol engine range.

The sources of the report also say that the 1 liter petrol engine will be aiming to set a new petrol fuel efficiency record in India.

This fuel efficiency record setting aim is but natural for Honda. The Japanese car major’s 1.5 liter i-DTEC diesel engine is the current most fuel efficient diesel mill in India. Now, Honda India wishes similar record in petrol cars as well in order to cast further charm over the Indian car buyers.

Post launch the new Honda mini hatch would compete with Maruti Alto, Hyundai Eon, and Maruti Wagon R.

After sixteen years of operations in India, Honda Motor is going make a small car especially for the Indian car consumers.  The Japanese luxury car company has announced on 27^th of November that it will design and develop a compact vehicle specifically for the Indian market.

Honda has revealed its future plans for India at the 2013 Tokyo Motor Show. When Honda does come up with its India specific car it will join the compact bandwagon that some global auto makers such as Hyundai, Ford and General Motors have already joined by producing Eon, Figo and Beat respectively to charm the especially the Indian audience.

Interestingly the largest car maker of the Indian auto industry, Maruti Suzuki India Limited still does not have a fully locally developed vehicle, though the company did express its wish to churn out one back in the year 2009.

In the Indian car market, the compact or small car segment has been an all time favorite, and lot of global car makers are considering this particular segment in order to boost sales.

The president and CEO of Honda Motors, Takanobu Ito revealed at the Tokyo Motor Show that Honda Motor has augmented its focus on the fast developing Asian markets and believes that India and Indonesia will together account for half of the company’s total production.

He added that the Asian market is very important for the company. And the very fact that Honda is assigning the Indian car market to Yoshiyuki Matsumoto implies how important the market is for the company.

Matsumoto is the executive vice president at Honda Thailand-and also the president and CEO of Honda Cars India and Honda two-wheeler in India.

Matsumoto is the chief engineer of the first-gen model Honda Fit or Jazz hatchback that was launched in the global market back in the year 2001. Matsumoto is thought to be one of the most potential contenders to become the next global Honda CEO.

Matsumoto said that he is in India for developing an India specific car, and India is a very large market for compact cars. Honda needs to understand and identify the domestic consumers’ requirements and bring down its cost via research. For this the company will also ramp up the R&D in India.

Honda has revealed its India specific plans when most of the car makers in India are dealing with the slow down stricken market owing to unstable economic growth.

Honda Cars India however has been registering great sales rates even in the Indian market slowdown. This great success is credited to the introduction of the Amaze, compact sedan which is the company’s first diesel offering in India. The Honda Amaze post its launch in April has been hugely appreciated by both the market experts and consumers and is currently one of the fastest selling cars in India.

Matsumoto said that Honda is considering developing the next series of India specific cars based on the Brio and Jazz platforms. He did not reveal the time though.

The Japanese luxury auto major Honda is really very pleased with its high flying success in India. While the Indian car market is struggling with the ongoing slowdown for several months, Honda Cars India has found new success with the launch of its first ever diesel model in the country, Amaze compact sedan. Encouraged by the market response even in such dark period, Honda had earlier announced of its plans to launch several new cars in India.

The process has really started as Honda made the global debut for the all new 2014 City in India. The 4^th generation City’s pre-booking registrations have already started in the country while, the vehicle will have its official Indian market launch in January, 2014. As the all new City will be available in both petrol and diesel, it will be Honda’s second diesel model offering in the Indian terrain.

Apart from the City’s unveiling, Honda is planning to launch a lot more new models in India. The Japanese car major has revealed that it is studying the Indian market to launch its upcoming compact SUV (sports utility vehicle) Vezel. The compact SUV was recently unveiled by Honda at the 2013 Tokyo Motor Show, which is said to be an answer to the Renault Duster compact SUV.

The senior vice president of marketing and sales at Honda Cars India Limited (HCIL) Mr. Jnaneswar Sen said that the company is still looking at the practicality of launching the Vezel in the car market of India.

Though the Indian auto market is down with low demands, the compact SUV segment is really on the rise. The compact SUV segment of India is currently ruled by the likes of Ford EcoSport and Renault Duster. These tow urban SUVs two models have managed to sell about 1.2 lakh units ever since their launch in India.

Though it is already speculated that the new compact SUV from Honda is on its way to the Indian terrain, Honda has currently hushed the rumors. The president and CEO at Honda Cars India, Hironori Kanayama said that the company has a number of vehicles in the product portfolio and it will choose the best suited ones to launch in the Indian car market. The company has not yet decided, whether it is Vezel or some other car.

However, disregarding the company announcements, the Indian industry experts and sources say that the Honda Vezel will be arriving to the Indian car market towards the end of 2014 or the beginning of 2015.

Honda already has a very impressive range of new cars for India scheduled for 2014. Starting with the market launch of the all new City sedan, Honda is expected to launch the Mobilio Multi Purpose vehicle (MPV) by June next year. The new Mobilio that is already available in Indonesia will be competing with the Maruti Ertiga and Toyota Innova post its market launch.

The Honda Jazz hatchback which is discontinued in India is also going to make a comeback with the bigger and better all new 2014 Jazz.

New hatchback from Honda, the Honda Fit launched in Japan towards end of 2013 has emerged as the top selling compact car within months of launch beating Toyota hybrids Prius and Aqua. This scene is likely to continue when Honda Fit will be launched in United States, Europe and other parts of Asia in 2014. The four door hatchback has a smart façade with headlights integrated with top grille and banded like a smile with Honda symbol embossed in steel. The Honda Fit which is actually a third generation variant of Honda Jazz hatchback is presently available in Japanese market in two petrol engine and one hybrid engine options. Honda’s production unit is struggling to meet unprecedented demands for this car therefore there has been a delay in the launch of this car in international markets. When this car is launched in India it is likely to have a diesel engine too of the Amaze car to reach a larger customer base.

The Honda Fit aka Jazz is to be launched in India in 2014 and will be in direct competition to hatchbacks sold by Maruti Suzuki, Hyundai and Chevrolet.  This third generation Jazz car’s hybrid version is unlikely to be sold in India as previous hybrid cars have been unsuccessful due to their high entry costs. The Honda Fit has an aggressive and angular frontal profile due to wide lower air grille supported by a wide bumper and large air inlets. Changes have been made to its side profile by incorporating raked roofline with linear indentations to give it a stylish appearance. The Honda Fit to be launched in India will have 1.3 liter i-VTEC petrol engine while its diesel twin will have 1.5 liter i-DTEC engine. Fuel efficiency of this car has been improved by making overall body more rigid and lightweight.

The all new Honda Fit to be launched in India in 2014 will have a spacious cabin with futuristic design and features. Driver will have steering mounted audio controls for convenience with a wide dashboard and roomy glove compartment to store all important vehicle documents within easy reach. Fitted with climate control and satellite navigational equipment this car will remain connected to HELPNET.  The Honda Fit’s front passenger seat rotates to enable seat adjustment based on height thereby providing better legroom to tall people. To ensure safety of passengers Honda Fit is equipped with its proprietary G-Force Control Technology and Advanced Compatibility Engineering which will reduce damage from impacts. Built for handling city traffic the car also has been equipped with safety features like Vehicle Stability Assist, Hill Start Assist and Emergency Stop Signal for better protection against sudden stop during collisions or pileups. Passenger and driver safety has been further enhanced by City Brake Active system and airbags on side curtains and for front seat passengers.  To eliminate complaints of engine and exterior sounds the Honda Fit has better sound absorbing fittings to make its absolutely cabin sound proof.  Overall aerodynamics is amazing due to sloping roof, air slicing underbody and sleek hood.

Honda India is a legendary car brand, since inception the company has launched stylish and powerful cars. Honda car enthusiasts can rejoice with some new surprise packages for next year. The TIF is one of them; this is a unique model in terms of design. The uniqueness is highlighted in the front portion of the car with its neat stretched back eye shaped head lights from which arises a four stacked radiator grille. This entire design set up is splashed on the car front, and the bottom portion has a wide and slender grille. There is sufficient gap between the top and bottom grille.

The design of the car is the main factor that will stir competition in hatch segment. The hatchback economy in India is robust, particularly with Maruti Suzuki and Hyundai cars. The front head light and grill arrangement makes the TIF appear uniquely sporty.

The TIF is equipped with a powerful 1.3 and 1 liter engine, and might be attached to five speed manual transmission gearbox. The mileage is one factor to look out for, the exact figures have not yet been revealed, but it is expected to be higher than its arch rivals.

The interiors will be exotic and rich; the comfort and safety attributes will be world class. The TIF might have a powerful air conditioner and fuel meter, for enhanced comfort levels the car will have adjustable cushions. The base version will have seats with folding mechanisms. For optimum passenger safety levels the car will have seat belts and central locking.

Honda TIF will excite sporty car fans to no end, customers can have the opportunity to drive in a car with a new and different design. It is a rare experience to drive in such cars. Honda Brio also has a one of a kind rear design, but with the TIF, the design is unmatched and inventive. With its amazing design and features, the hot topic of discussion would be the stiff competition that would arise in this segment. Some of its cut-throat rivals are Hyundai i20, Maruti Suzuki Swift, Skoda Fabia, Volkswagen Polo and Chevrolet Beat. The car will cost Rs 4.5-5 lakhs.

Those who are fascinated with the style statement of the car it will launch sometime next year. Honda has emerged victorious with its profit sale portfolio in September this year. Despite the harsh macro economic conditions that have haunted many established car firms, the company has managed to churn an impressive sale increase of 88%. The Amaze has contributed majority of the sales to the company.

The TIF might be a game changer for the company just like Amaze, the main reason being its exclusively sporty design. The car is molded into a compact sporty hatch, and resembles the models commonly observed on race tracks. When launched, if driven at high speeds, this would be a typical race track scene. Honda has engaged in some mind boggling creativity, and this is an innovatively designed car.

Those who are into motor racing, the TIF is a noteworthy purchase, and would be an ideal car to enjoy an amazing outing with family and friends.