Honda Unveils its Maiden MUV in India, The Mobilio

Japanese car-maker Honda, yesterday, rolled out Mobilio, its first mid-sized multi-purpose vehicle (MPV), in Maharashtra. The petrol and diesel variants are priced from Rs 6.49 lakh-Rs 10.86 lakh (ex-showroom Navi Mumbai).

The seven-seater Mobilio, with its strong desirable values, is set to expand the MPV segment and will appeal to a diverse range of customers, the company said after the launch here.

The Mobilio will be powered by the new 1.5-litre turbocharged Earth Dreams diesel engine that does duty on the Amaze and City churning out power of 100ps@3600 rpm and torque of 200 Nm@ 1750 rpm. The diesel engine continues to be noisy, but Honda has done a better job in insulating the noise out in the Mobilio.

The petrol variant gets the 1.5-litre i-VTEC unit producing a power of 119ps@6600-rpm and 145Nm of torque and is peppy and is the same that powers the City. Both engines are mated to a 5-speed manual transmission.

Moving to the interior, the Mobilio gets a two-tone colour scheme, which makes the cabin feel roomy. The interior is on the same lines of the Amaze and the City. The seats though are said to be flexible while providing plenty of storage space.

A major issue in the cars in this segment has been the fact that the third-row passengers don’t get enough knee room. Keeping this concern in mind, Honda officials seem to have figured out how to provide the rear passengers with adequate knee room, making long drives easier.

India seems to be the point of focus for Honda. In fact, when asked about Honda’s plans for the Indian automotive market, Yoshiyuki Matsumoto, Honda Motor Company Managing Officer and representative of development said, “India remains one of our key strategic markets in the region, and I am confident that Mobilio will contribute significantly to the company’s growth here”.

“Our ultimate goal is to be the most trusted company in India, and we aim at not only creating great products but also offering an unparalleled experience to our customers,” HCIL President and CEO Hironori Kanayama said.

Globally, Honda already has a prominent presence in the market in the MUV segment with models like Odyssey, Step-wagon, Elysion and Freed, which they plan slowly to introduce in the Indian market in the time to come.

The deliveries of Mobilio started from today through 11 Honda’s distribution network of 179 dealers in 114 cities across the country, HCIL said.