The customer response to Amaze, the recently launched sedan by Honda Cars India, which also marks its foray into diesel, has been overwhelming, according to the company.
The number of bookings with just two dealerships in Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh is estimated to have crossed the 1,500 mark. U. Arun Kumar, Director of Capital Honda, a dealership in Chennai, said customer interest had been unprecedented. The number of bookings was around 200 in five days since the launch in New Delhi, he said. The waiting period is four weeks for petrol and between six weeks and eight weeks for diesel. The booking amount is Rs.21,000, he said.
At the launch here on Monday, Jnaneswar Sen, Senior Vice-President, Sales and Marketing, Honda Cars, said the company expected Amaze to get it a lot of first-time customers.
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Honda Cars India, he said, was studying the market conditions for launching a seven-seater multi-purpose vehicle (MPV). It was also looking at a compact SUV.
On whether the demand for diesel cars would continue with the government trying to make the fuel price market-determined, he said “What we hear from the industry is there is a slight shift [already].”For Honda Cars India, the changing consumer preference does not matter as hitherto it was only in the petrol segment.
Moreover, “whichever way the market moves now, we are able to provide choice to the customers,” Mr. Sen said. The in-house production of the petrol and diesel engines at its Tapukara facility in Rajasthan was an advantage for the company, he added.
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