Honda Cars India eyes 8% sales growth

New Delhi: Japanese carmaker Honda Cars India, which has launched the latest version of its Civic sedan here on Thursday, expects to end the ongoing financial year with 8 per cent sales growth on account of good performance of its compact sedan Amaze.The company, which has completed the sedan line-up with the launch of the Civic sedan priced between Rs 17.7 lakh and Rs 22.3 lakh, is also looking to fill gaps in its SUV line-up going forward to make a bigger presence in the Indian market. 

"In the April to February period this fiscal, our sales have grown 6.5 per cent. We expect to sell around 17,000 units in March taking our overall sales to 1.8 lakh units for the year," Gaku Nakanishi, Chief Executive Officer, Honda Cars India Ltd (HCIL). He further said it would translate to a growth of 8 per cent from 1.7 lakh units sold last fiscal.  Commenting on the newly launched Civic, he said, "This completes our sedan portfolio in India." 

The all-new Civic comes with both petrol and diesel fuel options. The petrol versions will come with a 1.8-litre engine mated with a CVT (automatic) transmission. The diesel trims will come with a 1.6-litre engine mated to a manual six speed transmission. According to the company, the petrol variants deliver a fuel efficiency of 16.5 km per litre, while the diesel versions would offer fuel efficiency of 26.8 km per litre. 

Honda had discontinued the Civic sedan in India in 2013 after selling around 55,000 units since its launch in 2006. The new Civic in petrol is priced between Rs 17.7 lakh and Rs 21 lakh, while the diesel option comes at a price range of Rs 20.5 lakh to Rs 22.3 lakh (all prices ex-showroom). The company currently has sedans -- Amaze, City and Accord -- catering to various customers across different price points.