Honda launches face-lifted Amaze; to make dual airbags standard by April 2017

With the launch of the face-lifted Amaze sedan today, almost three years after the first Amaze hit the Indian market with Honda's 1.5-litre Earth Dreams technology diesel engine, Honda Cars India is accelerating its safety roadmap for its India models.

The new Amaze gets enhanced safety and comfort features like climate control, optional Honda Connect package, ABS as standard as well as dual airbags, which are optional in the base variant and standard thereafter.

Speaking at the car’s launch today, Katsushi Inoue, president and CEO, said that every new Honda model introduced in India from FY 2016-17 onwards will be equipped with dual SRS as standard equipment across all variants. Also, dual SRS airbags will become standard across all Honda product variants including current models by April 2017.

“Vehicle safety is a top priority for us at Honda. All Honda cars sold in India have the ACE body structure, which ensures structural rigidity and integrity of the body shell of the car, in case of a collision. It is very encouraging to see the growing awareness of safety equipment in the minds of the consumers,” said Inoue.

The new Amaze gets a Continuously Variable Transmission (CVT) and becomes the first petrol car in its class to offer advanced CVT technology. Honda’s test data claims the 1.2-litre i-VTEC petrol CVT variant delivers fuel efficiency of 18.1kph. The new Amaze will be available in 4 options in both petrol and diesel – E,S,SX and VX in MT. CVT will be on offer in the S and VX variants.
The E and S MT versions in petrol and diesel are priced at Rs 529,000 and Rs 595,000 for petrol with prices at par with the outgoing Amaze version. The diesel EMT costs Rs 641,000 while the S MT is priced at Rs 729,000 and maintains status quo with the outgoing sedan’s price.

On the inside, the facelifted Amaze sports an all-new dashboard, similar to the one in the India-bound BR-V SUV. Also, it uses press buttons instead of touch controls though. Air-con vents are horizontal and sleek, like those of the Honda City. The Amaze gets a new 3D instrument cluster, with a multi-information screen that displays ambient temperature and shift position among other things. It also gets new seat upholstery, a heat absorbing windscreen and Bluetooth audio streaming. Many titbits like the steering wheel design, gear lever and door-mounted controls are unchanged though.

The Amaze has been a high seller for Honda Cars India. From March 2013 till January 2016, the car has sold 191,963 units, comprising 87,999 petrol models and 103,964 diesel variants.

Also read: Honda Cars India set to increase prices across full model range