Honda Cars India Ltd (HCIL) has announced that it has sold more than 100,000 cars powered by its 1.5-litre i-DTEC diesel engine. As per the company’s service data, the diesel variants of the Amaze and City sedans and the recently launched Mobilio MPV have clocked over 90 crore kilometres cumulatively.

The1.5 i-DTEC diesel engine, which is based on Honda’s Earth Dreams technology, was developed exclusively for India and its typical driving conditions. With an all-aluminium cylinder head joined to an open deck engine block, it is the lightest engine among engines with a similar torque configuration. Honda says the use of a lightweight crankshaft and a number of friction-reduction technologies helped reduce friction in the diesel engine to petrol engine levels and achieve greater cooling efficiency, enabling dramatic fuel efficiency improvements.

Introduced in India in April 2013 with the Amaze sedan, the 1.5 i-DTEC diesel motor was sequentially introduced in the fourth-generation City in January 2014 and the Mobilio last month. The claimed fuel efficiency of this engine is 26kpl in the City, 25.8kpl in the Amaze and 24.5kpl in the Mobilio.

Announcing the milestone, Jnaneswar Sen, senior VP (Marketing & Sales), said: “The 1.5-litre i-DTEC diesel engine was Honda’s first step into the diesel market and we have come out with exceptional results. The i-DTEC diesel engine revolutionised diesel engine technology by offering outstanding fuel efficiency and amazing power delivery. It has been well accepted in the country and is attracting new customers. The 100,000 sales of i-DTEC-powered cars is a major milestone for us and we are really proud of this achievement.”