IAB Report - Honda to relaunch Accord in India during the next financial year

03/07/2014 - 21:17 Honda Accord, Honda Shrawan Raja

Indian Autos Blog has learnt through official sources that Honda Cars India will relaunch the Honda Accord in the next financial year.

2013 Honda Accord front three quarters press image — The Accord is available globally either in petrol or hybrid variants.

Honda had displayed the ninth generation Accord at the Auto Expo. The vehicle was in the hybrid guise, but details as to the launch were not shared. The eighth generation Accord was discontinued in December 2013 owing to lack of demand. Since the launch in 2008, Honda had sold just 11,492 units of the executive sedan in India.

In the days following the Auto Expo, IAB learnt that Honda was committed to launching the Accord in India, but the time-frame was not disclosed.

2013 Honda Accord dashboard press image — The ninth generation model was introduced in the US, the single biggest market for the car, in August 2012.

But now that the City diesel has launched and the Mobilio and Jazz are nearing their launch dates, Honda can think deliberately on what lies beyond these immediate priorities.

Globally, as of now, the ninth-generation Accord comes only with a petrol engine, and this should be the case when the car launches in India. The hybrid drivetrain could come in the top-end variant (similar to what TKM did with the Camry Hybrid).

2013 Honda Accord side press image — Honda showcased the Accord at the Auto Expo in the hybrid form.

The Accord petrol is powered by a 2.4-liter, direct-injected four-cylinder engine producing 184 hp and paired to a continuously variable transmission (CVT) or a 6-speed manual transmission.

The Accord Hybrid at the Expo came with a 2.0-liter four-cylinder engine paired to an AC synchronous permanent magnet motor. When both sources combine, the car produces 196 hp. It paired to an E-CVT gearbox.

Competitors - Toyota Camry, Skoda Superb

Estimated price - INR 20-25 lakh ex-showroom