Next-gen Honda City to get BSVI compliant 1.5L diesel engine
Honda will upgrade the existing 1.5-litre i-DTEC and 1.6-litre i-DTEC diesel engines to conform to BS-VI emission norms.
Maruti Suzuki has recently announced to phase out diesel engine from the Indian market by April 2020. In fact, Tata Motors and Hyundai are also planning to discontinue small diesel cars from the market. However, Honda has stated that it will continue to sell diesel cars post BSVI emission norms in the country. It is stated that converting the BS4 diesel engine to BS6 will significantly increase the price. The existing engines will need to be fitted with particulate filter and a tube for ammonia to clean the exhaust. These upgrades will increase the price gap between petrol and diesel cars by up to Rs 2.5 lakh from the current 1 lakh.
Honda will upgrade the existing 1.5-litre i-DTEC and 1.6-litre i-DTEC diesel engines to conform to BS-VI emission norms. The 1.5L diesel engine currently powers the Amaze, City, WR-V, BR-V and the Jazz, while the 1.6L engine powers the Civic sedan and the CR-V 7-seater SUV. The automaker plans to start rolling out models with BS6 compliant petrol and diesel engines from the fourth quarter of this fiscal.
Speaking to PTI, HCIL Senior Vice President and Director (Marketing & Sales), Rajesh Goel, said, “From our experience, for the fuel choice among petrol or diesel, 80 percent of customers make a rational choice based on consideration of driving distance and recovery period. However, there are still 20 percent customers who make an emotional choice towards a particular fuel.”
Honda is currently working on the next-generation City sedan, which is expected to be launched in the first quarter of 2020. It is expected to be unveiled at the 2020 Auto Expo in February. The new model will be available with BS6 compliant 1.5-litre i-VTEC petrol and 1.5-litre i-DTEC diesel engine. Adding to it, the company will also introduce the petrol-hybrid version of the sedan.
The company will also launch the much-awaited Honda HR-V SUV in the country by the end of 2019. This model will be equipped with a BS6 compliant 1.8-litre i-VTEC petrol engine produces 139bhp. Adding to it, the SUV will also get the BS6 compliant 1.6-litre i-DTEC diesel engine that churns out 118bhp and 300Nm of torque. The new model will be imported to India as a CKD unit. Likely to be priced between Rs 15 lakh – Rs 20 lakh, the upcoming HR-V will challenge the likes of Jeep Compass and Hyundai Tucson.
