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It's the end of the road for the Honda Amaze diesel, one of the last cars in the subcompact sedan segment to get an oil burner. Honda Cars India has silently pulled the diesel variant off its shelves ahead of the implementation of the upcoming Real Driving Emissions (RDE) norms from April 2023.
Dealer sources have confirmed the development to HT Auto, while Honda has also pulled down details of the diesel variants including prices from its website. The move is a part of Honda’s strategy to focus on petrol and hybrid powertrains in the Indian market going forward. The model continues to compete with the likes of the Maruti Suzuki Dzire, Hyundai Aura, and Tata Tigor in the segment, all of which lost their diesel engines sometime over the last three years.
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The discontinuation of small capacity diesel engines was inevitable given the upcoming RDE norms. This is the reason cars like the Amaze diesel do not prescribe to the stricter emission regulations considering the high cost to upgrade the 1.5-litre i-DTEC diesel engine to meet the new regulations. At the same time, the demand for diesel in the segment has dropped dramatically, which further makes for little business sense.
Not just the Amaze diesel but Honda Cars India will soon rejig its product line-up in India. The Honda Jazz, WR-V and the fourth-generation City are set to be axed by March 2023. The fifth generation City diesel will also be discontinued by the same period. This will leave Honda with only the Amaze petrol, City petrol and City hybrid versions on sale. That said, the company has teased its new compact SUV for the Indian market that’s set to arrive by May. The new SUV could just be the turnaround offering that the Japanese automaker is looking for in India, just like the 1.5-litre i-DTEC engine did nearly a decade ago.
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Amidst a shift in preference for diesel in the passenger vehicle segment, Honda introduced the 1.5-litre diesel engine with the first generation Amaze in April 2013. The oil burner went on to power the fourth and fifth generation City sedans, Jazz hatchback and the WR-V crossover. The motor produces 99 bhp and 200 Nm of peak torque, paired with a 5-speed gearbox. It was also offered with a CVT unit on the Amaze, the only diesel-automatic combination in the segment, with power figures detuned to 79 bhp and 160 Nm. The diesel engine was known to be a proper workhorse, frugal and reliable.
The Amaze will still continue to be sold with the 1.2-litre i-VTEC naturally-aspirated petrol engine tuned for 89 bhp and 110 Nm of peak torque, paired with a 5-speed manual and a CVT automatic.