Honda’s India unit on Wednesday launched the third generation iteration of compact sedan, the Honda Amaze. It enters an otherwise lacklustre segment in India, with the fourth-gen Maruti Suzuki DZire as its lone updated rival.
The third generation iteration of Amaze comes in three major variants—V, VX, and ZX—ranging from Rs 8 lakh to Rs 10.9 lakh (ex-showroom). Customers get to opt between petrol manual and petrol automatic (CVT) transmissions.
Last month, market veteran Maruti Suzuki launched its compact sedan DZire, starting at Rs 6.8 lakh ex-showroom in India. The prices go up to Rs 10.2 lakh (ex-showroom, Delhi) for the high-end trim, and it is the first Maruti Suzuki car to ever get a 5-star Global NCAP rating.
The Amaze comes armed with ADAS and connected car capabilities, but it remains to be seen if it would take on the reliable brand of Maruti. The DZire has eliminated its only sore point—safety issue—with the updated NCAP rating, and now, the battle will be decided between the engines.
Amaze does add some City features to it, like the paddle shifters for the CVT version, along with a decent boot with 416L of space, and a comprehensive warranty plan.
However, DZire wins the price war with just enough difference that it could possibly determine sales in the budget segment to which they both belong. Others in the sub-four-metre compact sedan category are Tata Tigor and Hyundai Aura, which may soon get updates given how the Japanese brands have doubled down on the market.
The latest Amaze was designed at the Honda R&D Asia Pacific centre in Thailand following extensive surveys in India. How that translated to a better sedan experience is yet to be seen.
The New Honda Amaze at launch | Kritajna Naik
