Honda Brio 2011

Honda Brio

Honda held the world premiere of a prototype of Honda BRIO, the new small-sized vehicle developed for Asian markets and scheduled to be introduced in Thailand and India in 2011, at the 27th Thailand International Motor Expo starting November 30, 2010.

Honda BRIO Prototype is being developed with Honda's advanced technologies, while further advancing Honda's "man maximum, machine minimum" concept. Being developed as a commuter which is easy-to-use even in urban areas, the Honda BRIO prototype adopts an easy-to-handle compact body (length 3,610mm x width 1,680mm x height 1,475 mm) while ensuring enough cabin space achieved by highly efficient packaging. With this vehicle, Honda thoroughly pursued the creation of an advanced exterior form, which is compact while asserting a strong presence.

For the mass-production model, which will be an entry-level car, for which demand is increasing in newly emerging nations, Honda will develop unique versions for Thailand and India to reflect different customer needs in those markets. Moreover, with this vehicle, Honda will leverage the resources Honda has cultivated through its motorcycle business and utilize local sourcing of parts and materials such as sheet steel.

For the Thai model that is scheduled to be introduced in March 2011, the fuel economy of more than 5 liters/100km will be targeted so that the vehicle will qualify as an eco-car by the Thai government, and a starting price of approximately 400,000 baht will be targeted as well. For the Indian model that is scheduled to be introduced within 2011, local customer needs for a small car will be reflected and local content will be increased to create a model that achieves a good balance between vehicle performance and price.

"Honda would like to expand the joy of mobility to more customers in Thailand, India and other Asian countries through the introduction of a new small vehicle with compact and highly efficient packaging by utilizing our own experiences cultivated by motorcycle business here in Asia," said Takanobu Ito, President and CEO of Honda Motor.

Car maker Honda is planning to launch its new small hatchback Brio in India in 2011. The company launched the small car prototype at the Thailand International Motor Expo 2010 in Bangkok in November 2010.

Honda Brio will compete with Hyundai i20, Volkswagen Polo and Maruti Suzuki Swift after its launch in the fast growing Indian car market. The car is expected to be priced below Rs 5 lakh. The car will be equipped with a 1.2 litre petrol engine. According to Takanobu Ito, President and CEO of Honda Motor, the company has targeted to launch the car during the festive seasion of 2011 with 80% localization in India.

“Honda would like to expand the joy of mobility to more customers in India , Thailand and other Asian countries through the introduction of a new small vehicle with compact and highly efficient packaging by utilizing our own experiences cultivated by our motorcycle business here in Asia, ” said Ito.