Switch glitch forces Honda into a City recall

 

Honda Siel Cars India has said that it will recall 8,532 units of the 2nd generation City (City ZX) that were manufactured in the year 2007. The recall is due to a defect in the power window switch, and the exercise is a part of the company’s global recall initiative.

Honda has recalled a total of 6,46,000 units of its Jazz and City models globally due to a faulty window switch. The recall has been carried out after detecting potential problem of smoke coming out from the driver side power window switch if water enters the window during heavy rains.

However, none of the Indian cars have been detected with the defect and recalling 8,532 units of the City is just a precautionary measure.

According to Jnaneswar Sen, VP, Marketing, Honda Siel Cars India.

"HSCI is carrying out the part replacement as part of a global exercise by Honda Motor Company to ensure stringent quality standards for its products. The replacement would be carried out free of cost and HSCI will communicate directly with the owners of the cars which are covered under this part replacement”

However, this recall will not affect the third generation City and the newly launched Jazz models that are currently on sale in India.

This announcement from Honda comes three days after Toyota Motors had declared that they would recall 2.3million vehicles due to a sticking accelerator pedal fault. However Toyota’s Indian operations were not affected by the parent company’s move.

Dealers Desperate to Clear the 2009 Stock of Honda Jazz

Honda dealers are finding it hard to sell the 2009 model of the Honda Jazz. According to the Society of Indian Automobile Manufacturers, Honda Siel Cars India (HSCI) had produced 1,066 units of Jazz in December 2009, but managed to sell only 269 units.

To overcome this decline in sales, the dealers are luring the customers by announcing discounts on the model of upto Rs 40,000 and attractive interest rates on loans.

The company, however, said the discounts were an initiative by the dealers and it has no plans to cut the price of the car, which is currently sold in the price range of Rs 6.98 lakh to 7.33 lakhs.

According to the various dealers in Delhi & Pune

"We started the scheme in early January and it will run till end of the month. The discount of Rs 40,000 is intended to clear up last year's stocks"

"We are not giving direct discount. Rather we are going for special finance benefits like making available low interest rates."

"The Jazz 2009 model is being offered with a special finance scheme at interest rate as low as 5.8 per cent against 9.5 per cent normally."

Maruti Suzuki does a Price Hike

• Maruti Suzuki India has hiked prices of most of its models by an estimated up to Rs 10,000 depending upon the model
• The average increase in prices is of around 0.6%, it varies from 0.12% for the Ritz VDi at the lower end to 1.9% for the Dzire LXi models
• The refreshed Estilo which was launched in August last year will now be expensive by Rs 1,200- Rs 2,400 depending on the variants.
• Acc to the Company, "The price increase is to partly recover the increase in the input costs arising out of raw material costs (including steel) over the past one year."
• Maruti’s recently launched multipurpose vehicle Eeco, Petrol variant of the small car Swift and its Gypsy models will not be affected by the price rise.
• Recently, Other car manufacturers such as Honda Siel Cars India and BMW had also taken similar measures.

Honda launches new Aviator with 110cc engine

Honda has launched the next generation of the Aviator scooter with a 110cc engine in India. The new aviator has a host of other new features to attract buyers. Previously, the aviator had a 102cc engine. The scooter has been launched in two variants - Aviator Standard, Aviator Deluxe priced at Rs 42160 and Rs 47160 Respectively.

Features At-a-Glance

• 15% more fuel-efficient than the previous Aviator
• max power output of 8bhp @ 7500 rpm
• Comb Braking System – Applies both the front & rear brakes when the left brake lever is pressed
• Telescopic front suspension
• 190mm front disc brake (in the Deluxe variant)
• New Viscous Air Filter – Increases engine life
• Maintenance free battery
• Tuff-Up (Puncture Resistant) Tube in Rear Tyre

Honda launches New, Revamped Civic in India

 

Honda launched the new Honda Civic in India on Tuesday.

Exteriors

The new Civic has a curved 5 Point Metallic Front Grille and restyled front bumper which gives the car a sportier look. Also new are the stylized ‘Dark Smokey Headlights & Crystalline Octagonal Tail Lights’.

Interiors

The audio system of the new Civic comes equipped with a USB port together with the CD player. An intelligent fuel economy indicator has been introduced in the new Honda Civic to enable the customer to achieve the good fuel efficiency

Engine

There are no changes to the engine. The engine is the same gem of a 1800cc unit. Honda sells about 400-500 units of the Civic every month.

Variants, Price (Ex-showroom, Delhi)

• Honda Civic SMT– Rs.11.80 lakh
• Honda Civic VMT-Rs.12.70 lakh
• Honda Civic VAT-Rs.13.44 lakh

Colors

Honda civic will have an additional color option Polished Metal along with the existing colors available in the range

First Launch

The Civic was first launched in 2006 in the lower D segment of passenger car market in India.

Bookings

Bookings for the new Honda Civic will start immediately at the company’s distribution network of 106 authorised dealership facilities, across the country.

Warranty

The all Honda Civic comes with a 2+2 year warranty and 24-hr roadside assistance as standard value for all new Civic buyers

Honda to launch 2 new bikes in India Next Year

Honda will be launching two new bikes next year.

One will be a 110cc mass market bike which will be launched in January Next year. The 110cc mass-market bike is codenamed the KWSA with the ‘A’ signifying its nascent development status.

The Bike Maker will then launch a 250cc bike sometime in 2011. Unlike the Ninja, Honda’s 250 will be manufactured here and not imported(CBU). Hopefully, that will keep the bike’s cost below 1.5 lakhs making it affordable for quite a substantial number of Indian bikers.

[via BikeIndia]

New Revamped 2010 Honda CR-V to be launched at Frankfurt Motor Show – News, Pic

The Honda CR-V has been a huge hit in the United States. Such is the Fan Following of this car, that Honda is reluctant to change anything in it, and hence has made some mild and unnoticeable changes and calls it the “new Honda CR-V.”

• Horizontal Slabs replaced by Honeycomb Grills
• Reshaped bumper
• new fog lamp housing are additional changes.
• projector headlamps

The CR-V remains the same under the hood

Talking about interiors, you can expect some extra gadgetry but the well laid out dash and furniture would not get the nix this time.

The “new” CR-V will most likely be announced at the 2010 Frankfurt Motor Show that starts next month on September 17th.