Honda today unveiled the near-production version of its small car Brio at the 27th International Motor Expo 2010 in Thailand. Honda Brio will be launched in India in 2011. The car, which is scheduled to be introduced in Thailand and India in 2011, will be modified for individual markets based on customer needs, the company said.
The car will have a fuel efficient and refined engine of a much smaller size. This engine will be mated to a manual gearbox. Styling will be futuristic as seen on most of the Hondas and a sedan based on the Brio will also see the light of the day. The Brio will be powered by a three-cylinder petrol engine, a derivative of the four-cylinder unit found on the Jazz but with a cylinder less. Swept volume of this new-for-Brio engine is expected to be 900cc, with a power rating of around 70 bhp. It may utilise Honda’s i-VTEC system or dump it altogether for a regular valvetrain, details of which will be shared after the car’s launch tomorrow. Like other Honda models, ABS and airbags is expected to be standard on all models, but that might mean that the base model which is expected to start around Rs 5 lakh will be completely bereft of any notable features.
“Honda would like to expand the joy of mobility to more customers in Thailand, India and other Asian countries through the introduction of a new small vehicle with compact and highly efficient packaging by utilising our own experiences cultivated by motorcycle business here in Asia,” said Takanobu Ito, president and CEO of Honda Motor.
The Honda Brio will be powered by a 1.2 litre petrol engine. The car seems quite light in weight and hence one can expect good fuel efficiency and decent performance. The engine is mated to a manual gear box and as per Thailand mileage standards Honda claims a fuel efficiency of 20 kmpl. There are no announcements about a diesel engine for this small car or any official specification changes for India.
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