Honda is aiming to capture Mahindra’s coveted third position in the Indian automotive market and we sure, as hell, know that the fight will be a tough one. Honda’s two new upcoming launches (the Mobilio and the new Jazz) are its main arsenals to launch the attack.
The first to come, as we know, is their 7-seater Mobilio MPV which is a direct rival to Maruti’s successful Ertiga. As per a report published in The Hindu, Mobilio will be launched as early as July. It must be remembered that a spyshot reportedly from Honda’s plant reveals that test production of Mobilio has already kick started and mass production to expected to begin sometime in June.
Mobilio is aimed as a personal transport vehicle for large Indian families, as an alternative to a sedan or an SUV. Now it will be very interesting to see how the Brio-based Mobilio will perform against its formidable opponent Maruti Suzuki’s Ertiga, and the lesser mortals in the form of Nissan Evalia, Chevrolet Enjoy et al. The MPV segment experiences an annual rollover of more than a lakh units and will surely give Honda a vast spectrum to conquer.
Honda officials still remain mum when it comes to prices of the new Mobilio and as always end up saying that it will be competitive, but we expect it start at around Rs 6 Lakhs for the entry level petrol variant. Honda has recently started teasing the Mobilio, which is touted to become the country’s most fuel efficient MPV, with a video describing its key features (here).
Amaze has been a success for Honda but has not really eaten into Dzire’s sales. But, with Mobilio things may be a little different. If Honda can price it up sensibly well, it may actually venture into the market of Ertiga and snatch away some sales, bringing home some laurels. You can check our complete coverage of Mobilio here.
Related: Upcoming Honda’s Brio Based Compact SUV: Will It Look Like This?
