Honda debuted the world premiere of a prototype of Honda BRIO

Honda debuted 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.

Honda BRIO Prototype is being developed with Honda\’s advanced technologies, while further advancing Honda\’s \”man maximum, machine minimum\” concept(1). 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 5liters/100km(2) 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.

The Brio will be powered by a three-cylinder petrol engine, a derivative of the four-cylinder unit found on the Jazz but with a cylinder less. Swept volume of this new-for-Brio engine is expected to be 900cc, with a power rating of around 70 bhp. It may utilise Honda\’s i-VTEC system or dump it altogether for a regular valvetrain, details of which will be shared after the car\’s launch tomorrow. Like other Honda models, ABS and airbags is expected to be standard on all models, but that might mean that the base model which is expected to start around Rs 5 lakh will be completely bereft of any notable features.

Sources : 1 , 2