Honda Amaze Diesel Axed As Stricter Emission Norms Are On The Horizon

• Honda Amaze diesel variants discontinued in India. 
• WR-V and City diesel to follow suit.
• Low sales numbers don't make sense for costly upgrades to be made.
• Carmaker expected to stick to only petrol, strong-hybrid offerings in the pipeline. 

We had earlier reported that Honda Cars India won’t be updating its 1.5-litre i-DTEC diesel engine to meet the second phase of BS6 emission norms, set to kick in by April 2023. Now, the Amaze sub-four-metre sedan has become the first diesel-powered Honda to be axed and soon, the diesel variants of the WR-V crossover and City sedan are expected to follow suit as well. 

Honda’s 1.5-litre i-DTEC engine belts out 100PS and up to 200Nm of torque depending on the vehicle. In India, the Amaze and WR-V get a choice of five-speed manual, while the City gets an extra cog. Plus, Honda also offered this engine with a CVT option in the Amaze, albeit with a slightly lesser 160Nm torque output. 

The carmaker earlier said low sales figures is one of the main reasons for the discontinuation of its diesel cars. Considering the high costs of upgrading diesel engines to meet stringent emissions regulations, combined with lower sales numbers, it simply doesn’t make sense for Honda to ready the unit to meet the newest emission standards. 

So what’s next from the Japanese carmaker? Honda will now shift back to a petrol-only lineup, like its older days. The carmaker’s current engine lineup in the Indian market includes the 1.2-litre i-VTEC petrol engine found in the Amaze, Jazz and WR-V and the 121PS 1.5-litre i-VTEC engine in the City. The sedan can also be had with a 126PS 1.5-litre strong-hybrid option. 

The Japanese carmaker is also working on a compact SUV, which has been teased recently. You can read more about Honda’s upcoming Hyundai Creta challenger slated to debut later this year, right here.