Honda Cars India Ltd. have announced an overall growth of 83 per cent in sales from April 2013 to February 2014. In all, 1,15,913 cars were sold as compared to the 63,439 units sold during the corresponding period last year.
The Japanese carmaker sold 14,543 units in February this year as against 6,510 cars delivered in the same month, last year showing a hike of 123 per cent in sales. These include 1,235 units of the Brio, 6,030 units of the compact sedan Amaze and 7,213 units of the premium sedan City. The company sold 65 units of the sports utility vehicle, the CRV. Considering exports, 252 cars were sold out of India in February.
Jnaneswar Sen, Sr. Vice President, Marketing & Sales, Honda Cars India Ltd., said, “We are happy to see the huge demand for the all-new Honda City which has gained the leadership position in its segment from the first month itself. The deliveries for the Petrol City have begun from February and with both our car manufacturing plants in operation, it will aid in quick delivery of cars and cater to the strong demand from our customers. The excise duty reduction announced during Interim budget last month has made all our cars even more attractively priced for our customers.”
Honda has a good reason to celebrate considering such a huge boost in sales when other manufacturers have been seeing a decline in sales numbers. Ever since the Honda Amaze was launched in April last year, the demand for the car went increasing leading to soaring sales figures for the manufacturer. The introduction of the fourth-generation Honda City has shown a good response, adding to the manufacturer’s reprise. We expect this to continue for Honda with the addition of the new Jazz and the Mobilio. The Mobilio will be launched later on this year, while the Jazz will only come to us next year.
Honda CR-V Review
The 2007 Honda CR-V has very bold looks and is the most compact crossover SUV available. It is very evident that Honda has attempted to make it more car-like and has succeeded. What this has done is made the new CRV sportier. Tweaks to the A pillar and the centre of gravity has bolstered the performance. The grille and headlight cluster adds to the aggressive and sporty stance. The changes, though radical, are functional even from the engineering aspect.
The engine choices on offer are the 2.0l and 2.4l. The 2.4l version also comes with an automatic. This rightly brings with the manual transmission which is really smooth with assured silky, short shifts. This really stands out apart from the good power output from the engine which is 143bhp for the 2.0l and 161bhp for the 2.4l. The ride quality acts as the litmus test to show the car-like dynamics it displays. The body roll observed in common crossovers is more car-like. It does not have a rugged appeal though and from inside is very silent.
Overall it is a good package and value for money with the features that accompany the impressive ride quality. The contemporary styling and neat arches are head turners. A fine cruiser for long drives wherein you can expect 12kpl and around 9kpl within city limits. The 2.0l version could give you a tad bit more on the mileage front.