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Honda City, Amaze diesel will stop production at the end of March 2023


The Amaze and City lost the diesel option; the cost of upgrading existing tools to strict RDE standards is not justified.

Honda’s motobike will stop offering a diesel option in the Indian lineup from early next year, sources have told our sister publication. Professional Autocar. Honda currently has four diesel models on sale in India; they include City, Amaze, Jazz and WR-V.

  1. Honda will stop making all diesel engines in India
  2. Currently producing 1.5 liter and 1.6 liter diesel engines
  3. The cost of upgrading to comply with RDE standards is not feasible

Honda says goodbye to diesel engines in India

Before performing the Realistic driving emissions (RDE) in India from April 2023, the Japanese automaker will discontinue production of the 1.5-litre i-DTEC diesel engine currently offered in India. amazing, City (fifth generation) as WR-VU cross.

The new RDE standards, which call for large investments in diesel engines to upgrade them to meet new stringent emissions regulations, have resulted in a number of diesel models between brands being dropped. For example, Hyundai Grand i10Nios and Halo The compact sedan quietly abandoned the diesel offering earlier this year, while the premium version i20 hatchbacks are next in line to lose this option.

Customers in India will still be able to buy diesel-powered Hondas until the end of March 2023, but the company plans to use up its diesel inventory at showrooms across the country before the sales. Stricter emissions standards come into effect, exactly three years after the BS VI emissions standard was introduced from 1 April 2020.

Honda Cars India has discontinued the Jazz, the diesel-powered WR-V as well as select variants of the Amaze compact car. Furthermore, the automaker is in the process of decrease current generation JazzWR-V and City (fourth generation) in due time as the three models are nearing the end of their lifecycles. The rest of the portfolio will see diesel variants reach the end of their lifecycles from December 2022 to February 2023.

Autocar Professional reports that after implementing BS VI emissions norms in April 2020, 21% of all Honda auto sales come from 1.5-litre diesel powertrains. However, this share continued to fall to just 7% of total sales due to a shift in customer preference for gasoline-powered cars. HCIL has registered sales of about 30,000 to 35,000 diesel cars from CY2020 to CY2022.

Honda introduced the 1.5-litre diesel engine – dubbed ‘i-DTEC’ – in India in 2013 with the launch of the first generation Amaze compact sedan. The company claims that the BS VI-compliant engine has a certified fuel efficiency of 24.7kpl in the Amaze manual transmission variant, while it delivers 24.1kpl in the larger City sedan. In the WR-V crossover, this 1.5 diesel offers a certified fuel efficiency of 23.7kpl.

Completely stop Honda diesel engine made in India

In addition to discontinuing production of 1.5 liter diesel engines, sources revealed that HCIL will also cease production and export of 1.6 liter diesel engines from March 2023. Currently, India exports engines. This 1.6 liter shipped to Thailand for use in the Honda CR-V in overseas markets, including Thailand and the Philippines.

The 1.6-litre diesel engine produced in India for export purposes will also be phased out.

It is known that HCIL’s suppliers have been informed in advance of the plan to phase out these diesel engines and the company will stop producing them at its plant in Tapukara, Rajasthan.

Eliminate diesel according to global trend

Honda’s decision to remove diesel engines from its portfolio can be interpreted as being in line with the overall market trend. Over the past few years, leading automakers in India as well as abroad have pulled out or outlined plans to leave the diesel segment, especially in the small displacement segment (under 2 liters). , where the technological cost of complying with more stringent emissions standards is relatively high.

Over the past decade, the share of diesel vehicles in India has plummeted from a peak of 54% to 20% and this change has accelerated following the implementation of BS VI Phase emission standards. phase I. The contribution of diesel engines in hatchbacks and sedans has almost disappeared, with SUVs now accounting for the majority of demand.

While those who like hyundai, that, Mahindra & Mahindra and Tata engine continues to provide a diesel alternative in the small and midsize SUV segments, however, the Japanese OEM brigade has abandoned diesel engines and focuses instead on hybrid powertrain technology. .

Criteria are more difficult with the RDE . norm

The upcoming RDE norms will task OEMs to meet emissions targets, particularly those listed for particulate matter (PM) and nitrous oxide (NOx) in the BS VI guidelines, now here in a real-world driving scenario rather than just in the Bench engine test. What this really means is the requirement for near-optimal emissions performance in different geographical scenarios across India.

Industry experts say that, therefore, it is necessary to implement technologies such as selective catalytic reduction or SCR (addition of NOx reduction), which are currently used in high displacement engines and will be economical. extremely low cost, especially for diesel engines with displacement up to 1,500cc.

However, Honda will continue to focus on its popular i-VTEC petrol engine technology with the 1.2-litre and 1.5-litre naturally aspirated petrol engines powering the respective Amaze and City models. application in India. It will also focus on the new potent hybrid powertrain introduced in the City e:HEV.

Meanwhile, Honda is working to bring a Brand new SUV to the Indian market around mid-2023 to regain a market share that has shrunk significantly over the past few years due to the lack of a strong SUV product portfolio. The new midsize SUV will come with both powerful petrol and hybrid powertrains. Honda hopes hybrid technology will make up for its departure in diesel engines, though it remains to be seen how competitive the 1.5-litre hybrid engine (expensive in the City) can be priced as how.

Also see:

Honda Cars India surpasses the production milestone of 2 million units

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