More details of Honda Brio sedan revealed

More details of the Honda Brio sedan have been revealed. Codenamed the 2TP (still no word on the final name) the new car follows the tried and tested formula of boot-on-hatch.  As we predicted, the 2TP measures 3.9 meters in length and has a wheelbase of 2.4 meters. Its width and height are identical to its hatchback sibling. 

Honda has now confirmed that they will launch the Brio sedan with a diesel engine for the Indian market next year. The mill will be a tweaked version of the four-cylinder 1.6-litre i-DTEC ‘Earth Dreams’ unit with displacement of less than 1.5-litre to avail tax concessions. This will be their first diesel powered car in the sub-continent and it is likely that this engine, in various states of tune, will be used to create a whole diesel range.  The petrol variant will be powered by the same 1.2-litre mill used in the Jazz and Brio hatch.  

According to reports, most of the interiors will stay the same except for a bench seat in the rear and different coloured plastics to separate the 2TP from the hatchback. Honda has said that the sedan weighs only 26kg more than the hatch despite the boot and the extended wheelbase. They added that rear suspension has been strengthened to cope with the extra load. 

The Honda 2TP will make its global debut in Thailand next month and will be launched here in March 2013. It will compete with the likes of the Maruti Suzuki Dzire, Toyota Etios, Tata Indigo eCS and the upcoming Mahindra Verito CS. 

To keep the cost down and ensure a competitive price, Honda will localise many of the engine components.  The big H will be banking heavily on this model to revive its sales which have fallen drastically after the deregulation of petrol prices last year. We have no doubt that it will succeed, but the delay until the diesel enters other models (Honda has gone on record to say it will not power any of the current models) will certainly hurt the company's sales figures.