India to be export hub for Honda's 1.6-litre diesel engine

Honda will manufacture its larger, more powerful 1.6-litre iDTEC diesel engine at its facility in Tapukara, Rajasthan, from July 2017. The engine is, currently, earmarked for exports to Honda's Thailand plant and is expected to feature in the Honda Civic for the Philippines.

The 1.6-litre iDTEC engine is likely to be available in two states of tune – a 120hp, 300Nm unit that's expected to power the Civic and HR-V, and a more powerful version, developing 158hp and 350Nm of torque likely to be used in the CR-V. All three models are expected to launch in India.

Honda's Tapukara powertrain plant is currently the largest producer of diesel engines for the brand worldwide, and with the new unit, this status is expected to further strengthen. The facility has the capability of building engines from scratch, beginning with the forging of crankshafts, connecting rods, all the way up to final assembly. For this engine, all major components will either be manufactured at site or sourced locally and this is expected to give the Japanese brand a competitive cost advantage when it introduces the models in India.

Until now, the only diesel engine that was manufactured at the Tapukara plant was the ubiquitous 1.5-litre iDTEC engine that powers the City, Amaze, WR-V, Jazz, BR-V and Mobilio.