Honda Brio Test Drive

Let's get one thing out of the way – Honda makes great cars. There's absolutely no doubt about that. But of course, it's not so difficult to make good cars, even great ones, which start at double-digit lakh prices. Bring that figure down to half that, and you'll see that it's not such an easy task. Not that auto makers in India fail at this task, but just that the competition this down the order is far more cut throat and to stand out against the established competition is a fairly monumental task. Honda managed to burn, or let's say slightly singe its fingers with the Jazz – a car which proved that you can have one of the best products in this hotly contested segment, and yet fail to make waves if the pricing is not right.

Visit http://articles.economictimes.indiatimes.com/2011-12-10/news/30502095_1_honda-brio-small-car-hatchback for more! 

Honda Siel Cars Launching Cheaper City

After cutting prices on its 2012 City Sedan by 66,000 Rs, Honda Siel Cars of India is cutting the price again by 50,000 Rs, bringing it to level with the Vento from VW and the Hyundai Verna. Honda is battling rising competition in the midst of production delays caused by the Thailand flood.  The new entry-level City will cost Rs 6.99 lakh. 

Honda Siel Cars of India claims that they have not cut the price on the City but have offered a new lower entry variant with a lower price. 

Without a diesel engine which is a popular choice for consumers in the India market, Honda may continue to find a hard time to find buyers for the City in an increasingly competitive market. 

Meanwhile new bookings for the Jazz and Brio hatchbacks have been temporarily closed due to continuing parts shortage stemming from the Thailand flood. No word on when they will allow consumers to order cars again.

India Production UP

Honda's new India minicar, the Brio

Honda Siel Cars of India has announced that it will be ramping up capacity at its Greater Noida plant by 20% with the existing capacity raised to 120 000 cars annually. Only minor investment will be involved with the additional capacity. Honda is also looking to develop and produce local diesel variants of its vehicles while Honda is projecting that its new subcompact cheap minicar, the Brio will contribute 10% to local Uttar Pradesh markets. The Brio is available in 6 colors and has 4 models priced from 3.99 to 5.14 Rs lakh. Across India, 5 000 bookings have been made for the model.

Honda expands before Brio launch

The Indian unit of Japan based leading auto maker Honda is expanding its foot prints in the tier-II and tier-III cities. The move has been takes in a bid to reach more and more Indian families to boost the sales of company’s much awaited small car Honda Brio. The Brio model is slated to hit the Indian roads by the last quarter of this year during Diwali festival season. The car is expected to be launched in the segment of sub Rs 5 lakh.


In past few months the company has opened its dealerships in a number of smaller cities including Ambala, Mandi, Rohtak and Coonoor. Moreover, the company plans to open another 25 outlets in such cities by the end of this year. The company currently sells its cars through Honda Siel Cars India (HCIL) - a joint venture between Japan’s Honda Motor and Siddharth Shriram Group Company Siel.

PR: Honda Brio Launch

Honda Automobile (Thailand) Co., Ltd. (HATC), Honda's automobile production and sales subsidiary in Thailand, unveiled its highly-anticipated Honda BRIO which makes its world premiere debut. The latest innovation from Honda is expected to raise the bar and set a new standard for eco-cars in terms of design, packaging, cabin comfort and fuel-efficiency in Thailand. The starting price will be 399,900 baht, with an annual sales plan of 40,000 units. (1 baht = approximately 2.7 yen)

Honda BRIO is being developed with Honda’s advanced technologies, while further advancing Honda’s “man maximum, machine minimum” concept*1. Being developed as a commuter car which is easy-to-use even in urban areas, the Honda BRIO adopts an easy-to-handle compact body while ensuring sufficient cabin space achieved through highly efficient packaging. With this vehicle, Honda thoroughly pursued the creation of an advanced exterior form, which is compact while asserting a strong presence.

The BRIO is equipped with Honda’s 1.2-liter 4-cylinder i-VTEC engine delivering 90 horsepower. This i-VTEC engine combines stress-free driving throughout the rpm range with outstanding fuel economy of 5 liters/100km*2. Its fuel economy-enhancing technologies and nimble performance makes the compact car enjoyable and fun to drive. Emissions from the Brio meets the stringent Euro 4 emission standards.

BRIO features Honda’s safety technologies including dual SRS front airbags, disc brakes, Anti-Lock Brake System (ABS) which prevents wheel locking and Electronic Brake Distribution (EBD) which enhances braking performance. (available in all versions).

Incorporating Honda’s G-Force Control (G-CON) technology, the BRIO’s high-performance body features several outstanding elements that enhance its design, driving performance, ride comfort and collision safety performance.  Its high performance body satisfies safety standards for both front and side impacts as specified by the UN Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE)’s regulations 94 and 95, respectively.

Atsushi Fujimoto, President of Honda Automobile (Thailand), said, “It brings Honda great pride to unveil the first BRIO in the world, manufactured, assembled and marketed here in Thailand. The BRIO will meet the driving and lifestyle needs of people who are looking for a stylish and compact, yet spacious and fuel-efficient car that carries a brand that they can trust for its advanced and safety technologies.”

Honda Brio Launched in Thailand

Honda took its covers off the new Brio, a small city car designed for Asian markets. Honda's Brio uses a 1.2 i-VTEC from the Jazz and makes 90hp and does 47mpg average. A 5-speed manual or CTV is offered. The Thailand version offers two front airbags, disc brakes with ABS and EBD. India will be getting a slightly altereed version of the Brio. 40 000 units of the Brio are expected to be on Thailand streets by 2012 with a starting price of 9400, $13 180 US.

Sorry Guys, Honda Brio to be launched LATER.

Honda's been getting a tough time in India lately, having sales in the past month drop 23%. It is obvious that competition has its eyes set on destroying the Japanese and Honda needs the Brio for a good comeback strategy. Honda's City sedan is doing very well in India and should continue to do well for the coming months but Honda needs a viable second cheaper model to draw in these customers. 

Rumors online have claimed Honda will be introducing the model on March 17th, but however be prepared to be disappointed. The production Brio will be showcased in Thailand in the coming weeks with the CRUCIAL Indian launch happening in September 2011. Pre-bookings will start in late summer. This means Honda will have no attractive low-cost draw-in for consumers minus the pricey 2012 Honda Civic set to debut in early summer. 

Join us on March 17, 2011 to see the production-ready model of the Brio, but don't be running to your local dealer (Asia/India markets) just yet. Yet. 

2011/2012 Crucial for Honda India

Honda's upcoming mini car, the Brio

Honda's current Jazz in India, to be facelifted come later this year

The Brio promises to be a classy, yet affordable, hatchback from the Honda stable built on a new 2CV concept equipped with features like a chrome stripe grill, bold looks, upward sweeping body lines and a forward inclined stance giving it a futuristic feel. The car will be propelled by a 1.2-litre Honda Jazz engine followed by a 1-litre motor in the future. Prominent headlamp pods set in black surrounds with a bit of chrome dominate the front while the all glass rear and low tail lights with a smoked-out effect make for an attractive rear. The Honda Brio is 3.6 meters in length and promises to be good to drive and easy to handle. The Brio doesn't have a central console and the instrument panel, music system and all rest has been aligned straight. The concept model had a double DIN music system, a driver airbag and fixed head restraints for front seats. Brio is likely to be priced around Rs 4.5 lakh (Rs 450,000) and will hit Indian showrooms sometime around September.

The Honda Jazz was recently spotted on Indian roads and the spy shots were published by an auto magazine. The face-lifted Jazz is likely to have new bumpers, grille and headlamps. The rear might get new tail-lamps with LED bulbs thought the car in the spy shots has the same rear as the existing Jazz. The car is likely to have the same 1.2-liter unit tweaked to be more fuel efficient. Honda is likely to retune the suspension of the Jazz and introduce a new steering set up to improve the ride and handling. Jazz comes with a CVT transmission in other markets. It is likely that Honda might think of bringing the CVT-equipped Jazz to the country.