It is no secret that in a price-conscious market like India, to establish impeccable credentials is no mean feat. It takes a lot of effort to do so. As Honda Cars India (HCIL) commemorates the silver jubilee of Honda City in India, the occasion is more than just a testimony to the dream that Honda's enigmatic founder Soichiro Honda had in mind.
Each generation of the City since inception in 1981 has had a story to tell. Very much like its global sibling, the Jazz, the City was developed as a benchmark small car, "with the intention of becoming the globally accepted standard for compact cars suited to this new era," without compromising its hallmark spaciousness and useability. And that adage is very visible in cars like the City which began life as a Kei car in Japan to a larger B+ segment model with curated role and responsibilities.
The first Honda City model introduced in India in 1998 was a sedan. The current model is in its fifth generation, also as a sedan (seventh generation if previous body styles are considered - see box below). Remarkably, it has stood the test of time and has remained the longest running mainstream model in Indian automotive history.
Ever since the model's introduction in Japan and later in other countries its image has also metamorphosed from a basic car to an aspirational model in a segment that only a handful of automakers have had success in.
India happens to be the largest and most important market for Honda City sedan, currently accounting for over 28 percent of the car's sales in Honda's Asia Oceania region (Jan-Aug 2022). In line with Honda's global vision to realise carbon neutrality and zero collision fatalities by 2050, HCIL launched the Honda City e:HEV in 2022, which marked the beginning of Honda's electrification journey in India.
Denne historien er fra 1st November 2022-utgaven av Autocar Professional.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
Allerede abonnent ? Logg på
Denne historien er fra 1st November 2022-utgaven av Autocar Professional.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
Allerede abonnent? Logg på
Spain's Fersa Group invests in India-based Delux Bearings
Besides theRs100 croreinvestment, the Indian company gets access toadvanced technologies and bearings with arange of applications that willhelpinits global growth strategy, writes Manobhava Baruah.
Tata Autocomp to open compact dual-clutch transmission plant
Amidthe country’s growing need for personal mobility with easy manoeuvrability, comes the demand for vehicles with automatic transmission. Tata AutoCompisready tomovein writes Shruti Mishra.
Pankaj Munjal-backed Hero Motors raises equity from GEF Cap
The company willinvest Rs1,500 crore over thenextthree years andit expects 60 percent ofits turnover to come fromelectric vehicle parts. Itaims to becomea Global EV Solutions Company from India
New age thermoplastics for next-generation EV batteries
Saudi-based global materials major SABIChas developed cutting edgein fire-resistant polymers and flame-retardant materials that comply with various EV battery safety standards across the world.
Switch Mobility to meet growing e-bus demand with fresh capex
Oncourse for abillion-dollar business, the company is exploringa possibility of operating satellite factories across the country to serve different geographies, write ShahkarAbidi and Ketan Thakkar.
Kia India to invest Rs 2,000 crore in EVS, to introduce new e-RV in 2025
New investmentto drive R&D, infrastructure development and manufacturing capabilities. The company willlocally produce EVsin India with possibility of exports as well, writes Mayank Dhingra.
"The government has given enough time for indigenisation but the industry has not taken it seriously"
Amitabh Saran, Founder and CEO, Altigreen, shares his views on problems inthe EV industry and battery localisation solutions with Amit Vijay M.
TATA MOTORS SEES ONE INTWO CARS SOLDAS EVS BY 2030
The company aims to offer wider choices withnew EVs that may straddle a pricebracket of Rs20to 40lakhinthe coming years, writes Ketan Thakkar.
MG Motor India in expansion drive, to invest $100 million
The investment willbe usedtoramp up existing production capacity from1.2to1.4-15lakh units per annum atthe automaker's Halol plantin Gujarat, writes Ketan Thakkar.
"Technology and its multiplier effect are driving business transformations and customer experiences"
Technical Centre India is one of Continental’s largest research and development centres in the world, andasa Centre of Competence’ it also develops customised products for the BRIC countries.