The wraps are off the much-awaited small car from Honda. Syakar Trading Company, sole authorised distributor of Honda for Nepal, rolled out the Honda Brio here on Thursday.


With this, Honda has entered the fiercely competitive entry-level small car segment where companies like Hyundai and Maruti-Suzuki have a strong presence.


According to Syakar Company, the car is a perfect package for new era and it embodies the best of Honda’s technologies to deliver fun and agile driving, fuel efficiency, spaciousness and safety. The car delivers a mileage of 18.4 kmpl and has a turning radius of 4.5m, making it a perfect machine for congested traffic. “With this car, we aim to cater to the demand of medium class people,” said Syakar Company Chairman Padma Jyoti during the launch, adding that the company was glad to present the car that was launched in the global market just 15 days ago. “Brio will help Nepalis realise their dream of having a Honda car.”


On the occasion, Honda Siel Cars India Director-Sales and Marketing Seki Inaba said the car was specifically designed for the Asian market. “Our commitment to the Nepali and Asian markets is visible as the car has been launched here shortly after its global launch and the machine has been designed as per the requirement of this region,” Inaba said.


The Brio is equipped with a four cylinder 1.2 litre i-VTEC engine which delivers a maximum power of 88 PS at 6000 RPM and maximum torque of 109 Nm at 4600 RPM. The five-speed manual transmission with optimized gear ratios offers excellent low RPM acceleration and smooth high RPM performance, delivering excellent fuel efficiency and nimble performance, said the company.


While still being a compact car, the Brio offers spacious interior. “The car is small, but it has a very good interior space. Honda has squeezed each and every minute component to make the car a comfort machine,” said Syakar Director Saurav Jyoti. The ‘Double Triangle Form’ further advances its appeal.


As far as safety features are concerned, the Brio is equipped with active and passive safety technologies which include dual SRS front airbags with i-SRS airbag in the driver’s side, Anti-Lock Braking System, Electronic Brake Distribution (EBD) and front passenger seat belts.


The car is available in six colour options—rallye red, urban titanium, energetic blue, alabaster silver, crystal black pearl and taffeta white. While the basic variant, Brio EMT has been priced at Rs 2.09 million, the SMT, S(O)MT, and the most feature packed VMT are available for Rs 2.21 million, Rs 2.49 million and Rs 2.59 million, respectively.