New Delhi: Honda was considered the most premium of all the Japanese brands in the Indian market. They always had the City, which was a great success and still
holds the torch for the sedan market in India, but they had a lot of global models and a couple of good cars as well, which we miss.
Honda slowly rolled out its international portfolio in the Indian market, but there were no replacements, and we truly miss them in our market. Honda has recently gotten a new CEO for India, and we truly wish that these 5 cars return back to India.
Honda Brio
The Honda Brio was a lovely car. It came with a 1.2L i-VTEC petrol engine and also came with a CVT. It was cute and charming and offered something to the budget buyers who needed a Honda and a brilliant city car. The Brio was highly popular with tuners, and people have done some crazy things to their Brios over time, but we surely miss it.
While the international markets got an updated model of the Brio, we did not receive another iteration of it due to poor demand and a declining market for budget hatchbacks, as everyone wanted to buy SUVs
Honda Civic
The Honda Civic, when it was introduced in India, was one of the most futuristic-looking cars on the road. The first-generation model was definitely a looker and incredibly popular with enthusiasts. It was reliable but also had a lot of aftermarket parts available for it. Owners have swapped engines, added turbos and also made them look pretty bonkers over the years. It was available with a 1.8L NA petrol i-VTEC engine and also a hybrid at one point, but that never became popular.
We had another generation of the Civic which was launched with a diesel engine as well, but that did not sell well and also did not survive the 2020 BS6 norms that kicked in India.
Honda CRV
The Honda CRV was available from its first generation in India until 2020. It was a premium vehicle which was considered luxury at the time, and it even had AWD. People loved their CRVs, and there was a very niche market for them here. The CRV couldn’t make it past the 202 BS6 norms in India. It eventually got a diesel engine as well after being petrol-only for a very long time, but sadly that only lasted a couple of years.
Honda Accord
The Honda Accord was, again, a brilliant vehicle by Honda. It was launched a long time back, and we got a few generations of this vehicle. There was a 2.4L i-VTEC engine and even a V6 engine at one point. It was the best Honda had to offer in terms of luxury, and it was considered luxury in the Indian market. At the end, there was a hybrid version as well, but it was very expensive, and Honda soon discontinued it due to very poor sales.
Honda Jazz
The Honda Jazz was a lovely little hatchback. It was highly practical and reliable, but it was very expensive when compared with the competition. It got a 1.2L i-VTEC engine and later a 1.5L diesel as well. The Jazz had magic seats which made it essentially a box on wheels. The Jazz was an enthusiast delight and had very extensive aftermarket support as well.
The Jazz was pretty expensive when it was launched, and it was even more expensive than its sedan counterpart, the City. The Jazz was discontinued owing to poor sales, and there have not been any updates since.
