Trust us when we say that we saw it coming! Only yesterday, we reported that the sales of recently launched Honda Amaze lower C segment sedan accounted for more than half the total sales by Honda Cars India in April. This means that the Amaze outsold the Jazz, the City, the Accord and the CRV all clubbed together.
Now, it has emerged that in less than three weeks since its launch, the Amaze has managed to receive as many as 22,000 bookings.
The response to the latest car by the Indian subsidiary of Honda is greater than what the Swift Dzire garnered back when it was launched.
Honda Cars India dealerships are apparently struggling to keep up with the huge demand for the Amaze and the new sedan easily becomes the most successful of all cars ever launched from the Indian subsidiary of the famous Japanese car maker. Such is the response to the Amaze that many Honda Cars India dealers keep the shops open well past the usual business hours.
As we have often repeated, the Indian car industry is undergoing a sluggish phase in terms of sales. At a time when most car manufacturers are reeling under struggling demand, the Amaze has helped Honda Cars India perform well even in troubled waters.
“We have witnessed a large number of walk-ins since the launch of the Amaze; several more wait to drive the car. On most days, the showrooms are open till 8 pm, but now, it’s extended to 10-10.30 pm,” said an executive from Honda Cars India.
“The response has been overwhelming, but we are not sharing any booking figures yet,” said a Honda Car India spokesperson.
“Though it’s difficult to satisfy every customer everyday, we are making sure every consumer gets to drive the Amaze. The idea is to not let any customer feel disappointed,” said a company source.
The company can produce only 4,500-5,000 units of the Amaze every month, due to constraints at its production facility. This means that the buyers of the Amaze will have to deal with huge waiting periods, especially for the high selling diesel variant.
The Honda Amaze has a lot of firsts going for it. The Amaze is the first entry level sedan by Honda Cars India. The Amaze is also the first Honda India car to get a diesel variant. Powering the diesel engine variant of the new Honda Amaze is a 1.5 litre iDTEC engine that has 100PS of max power and a claimed fuel efficiency of 25.8 kmpl. This makes the Amaze D not just more powerful than some sedans from half a segment above but also the most fuel efficient car on sale in India. The 1.5 litre engine that powers the Amaze has been developed alongside the much hyped 1.6 litre iDTEC engine that powers the diesel variant of Civic and CR-V in European car market. The 1.5 litre iDTEC engine benefits from Honda’s trademark EarthDream technology. The engine boasts of an all aluminium construction and is the lightest in its class.
Equipped with a world class engine, along with traditional Honda strengths, it is no wonder that Amaze is busy outdoing the high selling Maruti Suzuki Swift Dzire.
Chinvar, I completely agree with you. Its all just a hype created by the brand. However I believe Maruti Suzuki is the most genuine. Their cars are value for money especially the Dzire. Their sales figures are also genuine which is no surprise considering the performance of their cars..
22000 bookings ,(18000 by delaers fictitious bookings) just like the etios hype created by great Toyota .These japs know how to fool Indians by giving some crap with good after sales support .Suzuki is father of this game ,Toyota tried but the etios hype didnot last people realised the deffects in the car .Soon honda customers will know how they have taken for a ride with this noisy isuzu rebadged engine which they claim as their own earth dreams.Time will tell
Before I booked my City in March 2013, I was in a dilemma whether to wait for Amaze. There was also the fear of LBT being levied form 1st April. I took the plunge and brought a New Honda City. And when Amaze hit the showrooms 2 weeks after that I felt stupid until I test drove both the Petrol. Diesel was never in my list. My first impression when I opened the door was interior was no match for the City. Panel gaps, dashboard, music system, speedo meter console, everything felt much lower than the City. It just did not feel as luxurious as a City would make you feel. Then came the drive. I felt petrol is a little underpowered. I had test driven a Dzire petrol before booking the City, and I remember Dzire was more fun to drive than the Amaze petrol. Also, Dzire had better interiors. Hence, after having Test Driven Amaze petrol now I feel good about buying the City and not having waited. People who think Amaze will kill City, like City did to Civic, I think they are wrong here. As regards Dzire vs Amaze, I think I would go for Dzire if I were in market today for a Petrol Compact Sedan. Not sure about the Diesel variant.
Test drove the diesel variant. While the engine and ride quality are impressive, what would disappoint most would be the interiors – the look and quality (plastic looks cheap and tacky) of the dash is a put off, and definitely not befitting a honda car. Its evident Honda has cut corners to keep the pricing competitive.
Honda . Pls don’t downsize your quality standards . Honda will sure win this relay race