Japanese automaker Honda cars is planning to phase out its 1.5-litre i-DTEC diesel offered in the Amaze in the City by February 2023. This move is done keeping in mind the RDE (Real Driving Emissions) norms that is said to be implemented from April 2023. Customers can still buy diesel Honda cars currently, but the brand plans to finish its inventory across all showrooms in the country before the new standards come into effect.
The RDE norms call for big investments on diesel engines R&D to meet the stiff new emission standards. Many car manufactures like Skoda, Maruti Suzuki and Volkswagen have already removed diesel models from their line-ups completely. Honda has already stopped producing diesel versions of the Jazz and WR-V in preparation for the stringent emission norms while other models will follow soon.
The automaker had introduced the 1.5-litre i-DTEC diesel in 2013 with the Amaze compact sedan. The powertrain uses Honda’s ‘Earth Dreams’ tech and claims to be the lightest in its class due to a full aluminum construction. The powertrain had a 21% sales share for Honda after BS-VI norms arrived in April 2020. However, this number has reduced to only 7% due to consumers shifting to petrol cars.
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Stringent RDE Norms
The new RDE norms will task automakers to meet the emission targets, particularly for Nitrogen Oxide and Particulate matter in the BS-VI guidelines. The emission measurement yar stick will involve real-world driving environment rather than just being on a test bench. This means that it will require a near-optimal emissions performance across varying geographical regions in India.
Industry experts say it will need the adoption of technologies like SCR (selective catalytic reduction), which is already used in high displacement diesel engines, but it is highly cost prohibitive for powertrains under 1.5-litre in displacement.
Honda will continue to focus on its 1.2 and 1.5-litre i-VTEC petrol engines that powers the City and Amaze, as well as the new strong-hybrid powertrain introduced in the City e:HEV.
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