Honda India's second car factory located in Tapukara, Rajasthan will begin functioning in March to manufacture the Mobilio, a Financial Express report claims.
A month after operations kick off, Honda would begin dispatch and deliveries. Another source revealed to the newspaper that by June, the Mobilio would grace showrooms.
That would make the Mobilio the second launch for Honda in 2014 following the City in January. While the City is made at the company's primary plant in Greater Noida, it will share core components such as the engine and gearbox with the Mobilio.
The new Jazz would be the third, and possibly the last all-new launch for Honda in 2014. All three cars were confirmed by official sources to Indian Autos Blog as exhibits at the Auto Expo in Noida next February.
The Mobilio measures 4.4 m long (and therefore cannot get excise benefits) and shares its underpinnings and interior with the Amaze. The dashboard, switchgear, seats and trims are straight from the Amaze to save cost and reduce development time. The vehicle was developed at R&D facilities in Thailand and Japan, and premiered at the Indonesia motor show in September.
Though the newspaper report claims that the Indian Mobilio would come with a 1.2-liter petrol engine, we suspect Honda India will use the same 1.5-liter i-VTEC as that used by the City. Even in the car's debut market of Indonesia, the Mobilio is powered by the 118 PS 1.5-liter i-VTEC engine. India will also see the Mobilio powered by the 1.5-liter EarthDreams diesel engine.
View our complete coverage on the Honda Mobilio
The Mobilio competes in the light multi-utility vehicle market which is currently populated by the Maruti Ertiga, Mahindra Xylo and the Chevrolet Enjoy.
