2018 Honda Amaze to be followed by new CR-V SUV, Civic sedan launches in India

• Honda Cars India to launch six vehicles in three years
• New Honda CR-V launch is due in the upcoming festive season
• The first quarter of 2019 will see the New Honda Civic entering the market

Honda Cars India Limited (HCIL) launched the second generation of the Amaze sedan on May 16 for a starting price of Rs 5.6 lakh (ex-showroom). 2018 Honda Amaze is just the tip of the company's product launch onslaught planned for India in the next six years.

"Starting with new Amaze we will be launching three new products this fiscal. In the next three years, we will bring another three new models in India," Gaku Nakanishi, President and CEO (HCIL) told PTI.

While the head honcho of Honda Cars India was tight-lipped about the new cars, the company did reveal some details at the Auto Expo 2018 in February. The three India-bound model at the Honda pavilion was the new Amaze, new CR-V and new Civic. Since the Amaze launch is done, next in the pipeline should be new CR-V.

2018 Honda CR-V

Honda CR-V has been on sale in India for quite a while now. However, it is not a volume seller for the company as it only comes with a petrol engine. The fifth generation CR-V SUV which is due for launch in the upcoming festive season will be offered in both petrol and diesel engines. This is expected to increase the sales of the SUV by quite a margin.

The new India-spec CR-V will be in line with the ASEAN-spec model which is offered in both five-seater and seven-seater configuration, sold in Thailand.

While the petrol engine version of the CR-V is likely to carry over the same i-VTEC 2.4-litre motor from the current model, the 1.6-litre i-DTEC engine will power the new diesel variants. The petrol mill will be tuned to churn out 190 hp and will come mated to the automatic gearbox. On the other hand, the 1.6-litre diesel engine will belt out 158 hp at 4,000rpm and 350 Nm of torque at 2,000 rpm, paired to an all-new ZF nine-speed automatic gearbox.

New Honda Civic

The Japanese carmaker launched the previous generation Civic in 2006 in India before it got discontinued owing to poor sales in 2012. Honda Cars India is expected to re-launch its executive sedan in the first quarter of 2019.

With its return, the Civic will be in its 10th generation avatar. The Civic is likely to get a 1.8-litre petrol engine and for the first time, the sedan may also feature diesel mill. The 1.6-litre diesel could be the choice of engine for the Civic. In the international market, the Civic is offered with a 1.0-litre petrol, 1.5-litre petrol and 1.6-litre diesel engines.