Honda may postpone launch of new Civic, discontinue Accord in India

Honda Motor will reorganize its car business in India, scaling down its lineup of sedans and focusing on compact vehicles, the Nikkei reported.

Honda, which recently converted its India joint venture, Honda Siel Cars India Ltd, into a wholly owned unit, plans to postpone sales of the new version of its Civic sedan, and forgo manufacturing the new version of the Accord sedan in the country, the business daily said.

The Japanese car manufacturer may discontinue the Accord vehicle altogether in India, the paper said.

Honda's India sales, which fell 20 per cent in 2011, have jumped 70 per cent in January-July, helped by the newly launched Brio subcompact, the Nikkei said.

Car sales in India rose 6.7 per cent in July but were below industry estimates as higher interest rates and a hike in excise taxes stunted demand.


Copyright Thomson Reuters 2012

India gets its costliest SUV Evade at Rs 8.5 crore

Toronto-based Conquest Vehicles, the manufacturer of the popular Knight XV, an armoured, hand-built SUV, has launched the Evade in India.


Priced at Rs 8.5 crore, the Evade is the costliest SUV available in India.

The vehicle is powered by a 6.8-litre engine that churns out 400 Bhp of power at 2215 Nm of torque.

The SUV is a luxurious six-seater with a cabin space of 400 cubic feet, with the second and third rows facing each other in a limousine-like arrangement.

Some of the exciting features include a retractable flat screen television, three sun roofs, joystick-controlled roof-mounted searchlights and even a night-vision camera.

In India, the 4x4 comes in both diesel and petrol options, and should be available by the end of the year.

Several parts of the vehicle adhere to the ‘hand-crafted’ tradition of the company. The steering wheel, proprietary hinges, running boards and even the key itself are machined out of solid stainless steel. The handles are machined out of a solid block of aluminum.