NEW DELHI: Honda Cars India on Wednesday launched the much-awaited 2018 version of its Amaze with a starting price tag of Rs 5.59 lakh (ex-showroom) for the base petrol variant. The popular compact sedan looks all-new in its second-generation avatar and gets significant feature updates as well. The top-spec diesel Honda Amaze with all the bells and whistles will cost Rs 8.99 lakh (ex-showroom).
The car is available in four variants -- the base E, S, V and the top-spec VX -- in both petrol and diesel version like before and there's no change in the powertrains either. The 90PS, 1.2-litre petrol claims to return 19.5kmpl for the manual and 19kmpl for the automatic variant, while the 100PS, 1.5-litre diesel claims a fuel efficiency of 27.4kmpl for the manual and 23.8kmpl for the automatic.
A new addition to the line-up is the diesel engine mated to CVT automatic transmission which is a segment-first. The new CVT transmission with paddle shifters will be offered only in the mid variants of the model (in both petrol and diesel), alongside the standard five-speed manual gearbox option.
"It is a strong product and will be a game changer in India. A big move from Honda and a big promise to our customers. I'm sure it will replicate the success of the Honda City," Gaku Nakanishi, President and CEO, Honda Cars India said at the launch.
The 2018 Amaze follows the design language of the new-age Honda models, especially f rom the front. The car looks bold and aggressive with the new headlamps, LED daytime running lights and new grill with a chrome slat. At the rear, it has C-shape combination tail lamps which adds another new style statement to its design.
The 2018 Honda Amaze is based on a new platform with around 65mm increased wheelbase as compared to the outgoing version and it gets a tad bit longer (5mm) and wider (15mm) as well. The company claims that the car now provides a better cabin space along with a best-in-class boot capacity of 420-litre (20-litre more than before).
The interior of the car has been completely redesigned and it looks sharper than before. For the dual-tone black and beige interior Honda has used soft-touch materials and piano black inserts on the dash as well as the door trims to give a premium feel.
Along with a new instrument cluster and steering wheel, the new Amaze also gets the Digipad 2.0 infotainment system with a 7-inch touchscreen on the centre console in the top-spec trims. The car offers features like Android Auto, Apple CarPlay, voice recognition, auto climate control and cruise control among the others.
Safety features like Dual front SRS airbags, ABS (Anti-lock Braking System) with EBD (Electronic Brakeforce Distribution) and Brake Assist, along with reverse parking sensors are standard on all the variants of the new Amaze.
The new Honda Amaze will compete with the likes of the Maruti Suzuki Dzire, Hyundai Xcent, Ford Aspire, Tata Tigor and the Volkswagen Ameo in the Indian market.