Toyota's Etios is on the attack, but that has not kept heir-apparent Honda from bringing out its own saber. The Honda Global Small Concept will not just defend Japan's no. 2, but may also get it into a coup-de-grace position
It is like fencing, this game of domination between the two Japanese bigwigs - Honda and Toyota. While the world's biggest car maker has often been on higher ground around the world, and Honda has been playing the aggressor. In India however, Honda SIEL's headstart has paid off well not only in terms of its portfolio and profits, but also by developing it into a trusted, popular and more prolific brand than Toyota. Clearly, since the underdog is often better placed to attack, Toyota has lunged for contact at the Auto Expo with the Etios hatchback and sedan concepts. But like any seasoned fencer, Honda had its safe yet graceful parry - the Global Small Concept.
Glued together just in the nick of time to make it the Expo, the GSC managed to steal some of the limelight away from Toyota nevertheless - on proud display in the same hall as the Etios. The decision to bring the mock-up to New Delhi was taken less than a month before the show kicked off, and the car entered India barely three days before the Expo was opened. While the Etios carried on in the same Toyota vein of being non-controversial, all-encompassing and plain but likeable when it came to its design, the Honda smally is replete with aggressive design cues capable of grabbing the eyeballs of any car enthusiast. Be it the insistent alloy wheels, the sharp silhouette or edgy contours, the GSC certainly was the looker at the show.
Speculating thoughtfully about the car, one must not forget that Honda has always taken the fight to Toyota by offering younger, more enthusiast oriented cars throughout its pursuit - be it the Civic which went after the Corolla, or the new Accord which takes on the Camry. . It is likely that the Honda small car will be launched with a 1-litre and a 1.2-litre engine option that already does the duty on the Jazz, and inclusion of the smart iVTEC technology inside the engine will only enhance the car's capabilities without compromising on the practicality expected from a small car. The inclusion of a CVT transmission option, the way it appears on the Thai Honda Jazz will only enhance and widen the appeal of the car.
The positioning of the car is expected to be bang in the territory of the venerable Maruti Suzuki Swift, the car that revolutionized the way India looked at hatchbacks. Since the Jazz already covers the higher spectrum of the price range, this would be a much more reasonable but an equally cut-throat space to function in, especially after the introduction of the Volkswagen Polo, Ford Figo, Nissan Micra and the Toyota Etios, which would have hit the market before this small number from Honda makes its entry. But more importantly, the revealing of the concept shoulder to shoulder with that of the Etios concept at the Expo needs to be read into carefully. The production car may still be two years away, but this is a sign that Honda is ready to fend off Toyota's intrusion with fleet feet and panache.
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