In the recent months, Honda Siel India has forgone it dominance in almost every segment in the Indian car markets. A few blame it on irrational pricing such as Jazz, a few blame it on lack of options but a major chunk of people blame it on lack of diesel engine options.
Honda has finally woken up from its sleep and is now formulating strategies on how to enter the diesel market in India. According to the company, the first car to get a diesel heart will be the Honda City which is pretty much an obvious choice considering the fact that it is almost the bread and butter for the company.
Jnaneswar Sen, senior vice-president (sales & marketing), HSCI -
The rapid dieselisation of the market has happened only in the last one year, as the price difference between diesel and petrol has gone up from Rs 10 to Rs 21. We had to prioritize our efforts to be a big brand with big volumes, which will come from Brio.
However, Honda only has outdated diesel engines which cannot be plonked in the City. Hence, the company is in the process of developing a 1.4L and a 1.6L diesel engine. So is it party time for all the Dieselheads? Not quite. Honda will take two long years to develop this particular engine.
Mr Sen further added -
We are developing a diesel engine in Japan to power City. It could take us more than two years.
Two years? That’s an awful long time for the Honda City to suffer the onslaught of its diesel rivals. Don’t you think so?
Source - Autos.in.msn.com via Business-Standard.com
