Honda Cars India has no plan to discontinue Mobilio MPV

Amid rumours that Honda Cars India was planning to discontinue the Mobilio MPV due to poor sales and to make way for the BR-V SUV, a fresh report indicates the Japanese company has no such plan. The Mobilio MPV and the soon-to-be-launched BR-V will be sold simultaneously across the country.

A report on IndianAutosBlog quoted Honda Cars India as saying: "There is no plan to discontinue the Mobilio. The report is speculative and not true." International Business Times, India tried to reach out to the company, but did not get a response.

Honda Mobilio is one of the slower-selling vehicles of the company. The Japanese car-maker sold only 226 units of the Mobilio in February 2016 and 441 units in January. According the data released by the Automotive Research Association of India (ARAI), Honda Car India didn't produce the Mobilio MPV in October 2015 due to poor demand. This, despite the fact that the MPV was launched in 2014. All these led to rumours of discontinuation.

Meanwhile, reports say Honda Car India will bring to India in the second quarter of 2016 the updated version of the Mobilio, launched in Indonesia in January. Major changes for this update are inside cabin. The design of the new dashboard is inspired from the upcoming BR-V SUV and now looks more upmarket. The previous dashboard, which was based on the Brio hatchback, was criticised for its quality.

On the exterior, the 2016 Mobilio comes with newly designed alloy wheels and chrome touches in the front and rear bumpers. There is no change in the power train. Under the hood, Honda Mobilio packs a 1.5L i-DTEC diesel engine or a 1.5 L i-VTEC petrol engine. The diesel engine delivers 99bhp at 3,600rpm and maximum torque of 200Nm at 1,750rpm, while the petrol model promises a maximum power of 118bhp at 6,600rpm and maximum torque of 145Nm at 4,600rpm. Both engines come mated to five-speed manual transmission.