Honda rolls out Mobilio variants, explores second shift at Tapukara

Honda Cars India has rolled out two new variants of its Mobilio MPV. More of an option pack for the V and RS variants, it gets the Audio Video Navigation (AVN) system and rearview parking camera.

While the V(O) petrol is priced at Rs 9.46 lakh, the V(O) diesel costs Rs 10.45 lakh, and the RS(O) trim Rs 11.55 lakh. The RS and RS(O) will go on sale from mid-September 2014. The V(O) trim is positioned above the E, S and V trims. The RS(O) is placed over the RS trim. The Mobilio’s AVN system gets a 15.7cm touchscreen with maps, satellite-based voice-guided navigation, entertainment and connectivity features. The system allows telephony and Bluetooth music play. Jnaneswar Sen, senior VP (marketing & sales), Honda Cars India, said, “The AVN system and rearview parking camera are one of the most sought-after features and add to the premium feel of the car.”

The Mobilio has currently recorded 15,000 bookings and sold 3,400 cars in July. Of the total bookings, 5,000 were in August according to Sen.

The Mobilio has a two-month waiting period but with the company facing a capacity crunch that could up the waiting period further, it is mulling a second shift at its second manufacturing facility at Tapukara in Rajasthan. The first shift produces 5,000 cars per month with the Amaze already produced there. The Greater Noida plant produces another 10,000 units monthly with some Amaze cars also manufactured at the first plant to meet growing demand.

With production of the City sedan being shifted to Tapukara from the Greater Noida plant (from September), some of the capacity constraints are expected to be addressed. At present, the diesel Mobilio is more popular with 75 percent of the bookings for the diesel trim and 25 percent for the petrol but Sen says that if the gap between petrol and diesel prices narrows down, demand for petrol-engined Mobilios could see an uptick.  The City currently commands a 61 percent demand for diesel with the balance petrol.

Coming just before the start of the festive season in October, the company is optimistic that all its models especially the new Mobilio will drive up footfalls by about 20 percent at its showrooms.