Not for North America....
By Yuga Chaudhari
Honda Cars India plans to roll out 3-4 diesel models in the country
over the next 2-3 years, Hironori Kanayama (pictured), itspresident and
CEO, said on Thursday.
To start with, the company will launch an entry-level sedan based on the Brio platform next fiscal.
It
is also studying options in new segments like utility vehicles and
compact sports utility vehicles, where it does not have a presence at
present.
To be sure, Honda has been missing a large part of the
action because it only has petrol vehicles in a market where demand for
diesel vehicles has rocketed in recent years because of the price
difference between the two fuels.
The new range of products could help it catch up with competition.
Honda
said it has started work on manufacturing diesel engines in India at
its Tapukara plant in Rajasthan, though it did not share details on
capacity and investment.
“We cannot tell you the exact product
plan, but we are very very ambitious,” said Kanayama. “We are still
working on the sequence of which model and the timing of the launch for
the same.”
Honda could consider getting products from its existing global line-up or develop an India-specific product like Brio.
The
company said it will introduce the diesel option in the next generation
of new models and the next generation of the existing models.
Honda Siel Cars sold 54,427 units in 2011-12, down 8.46% compared with the previous fiscal.
“The future models in diesel will bring us to the right position,” said Kanayama.
Meanwhile,
the company is also ramping up exports from India. As against a total
of 1,028 units exported in the last 14 years, it plansto ship 1,600
units of its small car Brio by the end of this year to South Africa and
other Asian countries.
Source;
http://www.dnaindia.com/money/report_honda-plans-3-4-diesel-models-in-2-3-years_1756208
No comments:
Post a Comment