Honda has reaffirmed that it will launch a new hybrid car in India, as per a new report from PTI. If previous reports are to be believed, this will be an electrified variant of the next-gen Honda City due in 2020.
While other automakers are rushing with EV launches in India, Honda is still not sold on the idea of skipping hybrid vehicles. The company will launch hybrid vehicles before bringing EVs to our market. "We will begin our electrification journey in two years with hybrid technology," Rajesh Goel, Senior Vice President and Director, Honda Cars India, told PTI recently.
In 2017, it was reported that the next-gen Honda City and the next-gen Honda Jazz will have a hybrid variant in India. While there have been no further developments on the launch of a Honda Jazz Hybrid in our market since then, there have been new talks about the Honda City Hybrid. Earlier it was said that this car will be a full-hybrid vehicle as in the global markets. Later, though, other reports stated that it will be a mild-hybrid vehicle as a full-hybrid powertrain would be too costly for customers in India.
The next-gen Honda City will likely go on sale in India at the start of 2020. Like the outgoing model, the redesigned model will have a full-hybrid variant for sale in Japan and other Asian markets. Whether India will be one of these Asian markets, remains to be seen. Close competitor Maruti Ciaz is likely to have a full-hybrid variant in the next generation.
As for the next-gen Honda Jazz, internationally, there's going to be a full-hybrid variant as well as a pure electric variant. However, with the current generation model not having received much success here, it remains to be seen if the all-new model is launched.
Also Read: India-made Honda Amaze scores 4-star Global NCAP safety rating
Currently, Honda only has a single hybrid vehicle in its portfolio in India - the Accord Hybrid. Being way too old and also very expensive, with a retail price of INR 43.21 lakh (ex-showroom), it has proved to be a disaster in our market.
[News Source: economictimes.indiatimes.com]
[Image Source: Paultan]
