Currently reading: Honda launches new city car
Indian and Thai markets to get Honda Brio - but it's not coming to Europe, let alone the UK

Honda has revealed its new small car for emerging markets at the Thailand International Motor Show.

Called Brio, the new model draws heavily on the styling of the New Small Concept, a prototype revealed at the Delhi motor show back in January. The five-door hatch is smaller than Honda’s current baby, the Jazz, at 3.6m long and 1.68m wide. It should line up as a rival for the Kia Picanto, Hyundai i10 and Suzuki Alto.

See the official pics of the new Honda Brio

Honda has not revealed any engine details for the car, but it’s thought to use the same 1.2-litre powerplant as the base-model Jazz.

The launch venues for both the concept and this production version are no coincidence, because the Brio is designed for the Indian and Thai markets. It will be produced in each of the countries, with a high level of local content in each.

Honda has no plans to bring the Brio to Europe, let alone the UK. It is understood to have been built to a cost, and makes do without many of the airbag features that would be necessary for European crash tests.

Read the full story on the revised Honda Jazz range

See all the latest Honda reviews, news and video

Join the debate

Comments
18
Add a comment…
Mini1 2 December 2010

Re: Honda launches new city car

Myk wrote:

Dear Honda,

I'm despairing of you these days too, which is sad for a long-term devotee like me. You drop the S2000 and NSX (quite rightly as they were old), but then cancel the replacement for the NSX and give us the CR-Z instead of a new S2000. The CR-Z could have been great - a proper eco-coupe - but instead it has the performance of a slug. Fun doesn't necessarily mean fast, but the CR-Z is taking the p!ss.

Elsewhere you give us outclassed hybrid technology which you refuse to give up on because you don't want to lose face to Toyota, a same-again Jazz which doesn't really build on the greatness of the last version, an amazing looking Civic with cost-cutting issues (I've got a Type R and love it, although most days I could scream at that rear axle), an Accord and CR-V which follow the Jazz blueprint (i.e. same again but uglier and not really any better than the last model), and the Legend, of which I've only seen 1.

You are in danger of putting all your eggs in one basket, namely a hybrid system that doesn't work very well in cars which are engineered down to a price (and feel it). Where's the real innovation, the engineering purity that you were known for?

The Brio looks great, if a little reminiscent of the Lancia Ypsilon from certain angles (no bad thing), and the interior looks much better than your competitors. But I know you won't bring it to Europe, where small cars are in, because you're worried that it'll hurt your "premium" image, and you will have to charge more to equip it to meets European standards.

Come on Honda, bring this car to Europe! Bring it in basic and cut price and stop worrying about your image (which isn't what you think it is anyway).

Yours,

Concerned of London.

Well said. I really hope Honda are somehow reading this thread! I'd be genuinely interested in looking at a Brio. Not in that colour though. I agree with you that it does look rather Ypsilon-ish, too. It's certainly better than the Logo city car they had here back in 2000!

theonlydt 2 December 2010

Re: Honda launches new city car

Myk wrote:
Haha! Must learn to be more succinct. You hit the nail on the head...

Everything you said I agreed with, I had nothing more to add, hence the +1 (summarising was so people didn't have to scroll down half a page). I've made similar rants about Honda in the past. Those who owned Hondas made between 1995 and about 2006 are now Skoda owners I reckon.

superstevie 1 December 2010

Re: Honda launches new city car

TegTypeR wrote:
Honda are always rattling on about lowering the average age of their British customer base.
Indeed. And what better way that a cheapish small car that young new drivers can afford and would want to buy? Its a shame, because no young person in their right mind would by a Jazz, unless they have a couple of kids.