Honda diesel engine car sales cross 1 lakh mark in India

Honda Cars India Ltd (HCIL) on Thursday said it has sold more than one lakh cars powered by its diesel engine in the domestic market.

The company first introduced its 1.5L i-DTEC diesel engine in India in April 2013 with Honda Amaze and was sequentially introduced in 4th Generation Honda City in January 2014 and mid-size MPV Honda Mobilio in July 2014.

"The 1.5L i-DTEC diesel engine was Honda's first step into the diesel market and we have come out with exceptional results. It has been well accepted in the country and is attracting new customers to the Honda brand every day. The 100,000 sales of i-DTEC powered cars is a major milestone for us", HCIL Senior Vice-President (Marketing & Sales) Jnaneswar Sen said in a statement.

The 1.5L i-DTEC diesel engine has been developed exclusively for India considering Indian driving conditions, the company said.

The use of lightweight crankshaft and a number of friction-reduction technologies have helped to reduce friction in the diesel engine to petrol engine levels and also achieve greater cooling efficiency thus enabling dramatic fuel efficiency improvements.