The MPV segment is also heating up in India just as the SUV craze is beginning. The Maruti Ertiga was proof of this as more than 30,000 customers have already booked the car within a month of its launch. Toyota has done very well and set an example with its Innova, and Mahindra and Tata are already on the MPV bandwagon. So you would think that other car makers would also jump on, and that is exactly what Honda is now planning to do. Honda currently sells a mini MPV version of the Jazz in other countries in Asia as the Freed and will now focus on bringing the MPV to India to enter into this new lucrative segment. In fact, development has already begun on this Jazz based 7-seater.
The MPV from Honda will come in both diesel and petrol engine variants and will most likely use the Honda City’s 1.5 litre petrol engine but will also get larger diesel engines which are currently in high demand. This means that Honda will have to develop all new engines for the MPV. Along with the new MPV Honda is also planning on launching a Brio sedan by 2013.
