Honda Amaze finds five lakh homes in India despite rush for SUVs

Honda Cars India on Wednesday announced that its Amaze compact sedan has hit a cumulative sales milestone of five lakh units, an impressive achievement considering that the Indian car buyer has shown a big shift in preference towards SUVs of all shapes, sizes and in various price brackets. First launched in India in 2013, Honda Amaze has been a formidable player in its segment which also features Maruti Suzuki Dzire and Hyundai Aura.

The Amaze sedan, which is currently in its second generation version, is one the brand's largest selling models, accounting for more than 40% of company sales. The model's current sales contribution from Tier 1 markets is almost 40% while from Tier 2 and 3 markets, its is around 60%, combined. “Popularity and acceptance (of Amaze) in both big and small cities is a testament that the premium sedan not only matches the customer needs, but also exceeds their expectations," said Takuya Tsumura, President & CEO, Honda Cars India.

The other data points revealed by the company show that 40% of the customers of Amaze are first time buyers as the car offers a lower maintenance cost as well as three years of unlimited kilometres warranty. Another data point reveals that the share of automatics in Amaze has also increased from 9% in 2013 to more than 30% at present.

During the last few years, the petrol variants of the Honda Amaze have dominated the overall sales across the country with petrol contributing 93% to sales during April to August this year. Manufactured at the company's Tapukara plant in Rajasthan, the model is sold in both domestic and foreign markets.

The current generation Honda Amaze features a bold design and spacious interiors and comprises of a long list of features. The vehicle is available in both manual transmission and CVT in petrol with 1.2L i-VTEC engine as well as in a diesel version with 1.5L i-DTEC engine.