Honda Brio

The Honda Brio is an automobile produced by Honda since 2011. It is a city car/ subcompact car that is mainly sold in Southeast Asia and also in other regions, and positioned as an entry-level hatchback model slotted below the Fit/Jazz and the City. Along with the complementary Amaze sedan, it is the smallest car in Honda's global line-up , excluding Japanese market kei cars.

The name "Brio" means "vivacity" or "verve" in Italian. In August 2013 in Indonesia, entry-level Brio variants received an additional Indonesia-inspired name to comply with the country's LCGC (Low Cost Green Car) program. The name "Satya" (Sanskrit: true, genuine, sincere or faithful) is used as the suffix.

First generation (DD1/2; 2011)

Honda launched the Brio in 2011 as a hatchback slotted in a class below the Fit/Jazz. The car was specifically designed for emerging markets such as Thailand and India, two countries where the Brio was initially manufactured. The car was previewed as the New Small Concept. The concept car was first shown at the 2010 Thailand International Motor Expo.

Powertrain

The first-generation Brio is powered by either a 1.2-litre '' L12B3'' SOHC i-VTEC four-cylinder petrol engine producing at 6,000 rpm and of torque at 4,500–4,800 rpm, or a 1.3-litre '' L13Z1'' SOHC i-VTEC four-cylinder petrol engine producing at 6,000 rpm and of torque at 4,800 rpm. It is available with either a 5-speed manual, 5-speed torque converter automatic or a continuously variable transmission (CVT). The car is certified to deliver a combined mileage of and with manual and automatic transmission respectively on the Indian cycle. For the Thai market, the 1.2-litre engine is compatible with E20 fuel.

Markets

Thailand

In Thailand, the Brio was launched on 17 March 2011 as a response to a government-endorsed Eco Car program. It was initially available in S grade with manual transmission and V grade with either manual transmission or CVT. Both S and V versions are powered by a 1.2-litre ''L12B3'' engine that can utilise E20 fuel, and offers a claimed fuel economy of . However, Honda Thailand also produced the Brio with a 1.3-litre ''L13Z1'' engine for export markets. After the car was facelifted in May 2016, which included updated front fascia, taillights, and dashboard design, the manual transmission option was discontinued, leaving only the V grade with CVT.

At the launch, Honda expected to sell 40,000 Brios annually in the Thai market. However, throughout its life Honda only managed to sell less around 32,000 Brio hatchbacks in the country.

India

The Brio's planned launch in India was delayed in early 2011 due to the 2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami in Japan. It was launched later in September 2011. The Indian market Brio was produced by the company's subsidiary, Honda Cars India Ltd (HCIL), at its production facilities in Greater Noida. Over 80% of its parts were sourced from Indian suppliers. The Rajasthan factory also exports Brio parts to Thailand. The Brio in India were offered in V, VX and VX BL grades. The facelifted model was launched on 4 October 2016.

The Brio stopped production in India in November 2018 and removed from the lineup in February 2019 due to slow sales, leaving the Amaze as Honda's entry-level offering for the Indian market.

Indonesia

The Brio was launched in Indonesia on 2 August 2012. Initially CBU-imported from Thailand, it was first offered in S and E grades. It used the 1.3-litre ''L13Z1'' engine instead of the 1.2-litre ''L12B3'' unit seen previously in the Thai and Indian market, which was initially mated to either a 5-speed manual or a 5-speed torque converter automatic transmission.

Honda Prospect Motor started the production of the 1.2-litre Brio in Indonesia in August 2013 to fulfill the local demand and to certify the Brio under a government-sponsored Low Cost Green Car (LCGC) program. The qualified variants were given the "Satya" suffix to comply with the program requirements. Only the lower grades (A, S, and E, all with manual transmission) were initially qualified as an LCGC due to price limits imposed by the government. The automatic 1.2-litre model (for S and E grades) was allegedly failed to qualify the LCGC regulations which require a fuel consumption of under certain specific conditions, which made it liable for an extra luxury goods tax. The Thai-imported 1.3-litre model, which was renamed to "Brio Sports", remained on sale as the flagship grade until December 2013, when all models became produced locally.

The Indonesian market Brio received its facelift on 7 April 2016 at the 24th Indonesia International Motor Show. It introduced the RS grade (not part of the LCGC program) with the 1.2-litre engine which replaced Sports grade as the top-of-the-line variant. The A and S automatic grades were dropped. The CVT option replaced the torque converter automatic unit, which made the automatic model (except for RS grade) qualified under the LCGC program. Sales began on 2 June 2016.

Philippines

The Brio was launched in the Philippines at the Philippine International Motor Show in September 2014.

South Africa

The Brio was launched in South Africa in December 2012.

Safety

Safety equipment includes dual front airbags, anti-lock braking system, electronic brakeforce distribution and front pretensioner seat belts. The driver's side airbag feature multi-stage inflation. The front body is designed to absorb impact energy for better pedestrian protection. The cars's front wheels have disc brakes and the rear wheels have drum type brakes. The progressive braking prevents sudden jerks.

Recall

In May 2014, Honda issued a recall of about 32,000 Brio and Amaze cars in India due to a possible mis-assembly of the proportioning valve. This recall is limited to models which are not fitted with ABS.

Gallery

File:Honda Brio S 1.3 - Rear view - February 2 2014.jpg, 2013 Brio S (DD2; pre-facelift, Indonesia)
File:2018 Honda Brio Satya 1.2 E hatchback (DD1; 01-31-2019), South Tangerang.jpg, 2018 Brio Satya E (DD1; facelift, Indonesia)
File:2016 Honda Brio Satya E (facelift) (rear), West Surabaya (cropped).jpg, 2016 Brio Satya E (DD1; facelift, Indonesia)
File:2017 Honda Brio RS 1.2 DD1 (20191020).jpg, 2017 Brio RS (DD1; facelift, Indonesia)
File:2017 Honda Brio RS 1.2 DD1 (20200223) 02.jpg, 2017 Brio RS (DD1; facelift, Indonesia)
File:2016 Honda Brio RS 1.2 DD1 interior (20160409).jpg, 2016 Brio RS interior (facelift, Indonesia)

Second generation (DD1; 2018)

The second-generation Brio was unveiled on 2 August 2018 at the 26th Gaikindo Indonesia International Auto Show. It was previewed by the Small RS Concept that was displayed at the 26th Indonesia International Motor Show in April 2018. Unlike the second-generation Amaze, the second-generation Brio retained the same platform from the previous generation, albeit with an elongated chassis. While retaining the front side doors, front bumper and dashboard from the facelifted first-generation model, the grille, rear side doors, trunk and taillights were redesigned, and the headlights are shared with the facelifted second-generation Mobilio. The rear glass hatch is replaced by a conventional lift-up tailgate.

Due to the falling demand in Thailand and India, the second-generation Brio is exclusively manufactured in Indonesia. Exports from the country commenced on 26 March 2019.

Markets

Indonesia

For the Indonesian market, the second-generation Brio is available in the same grade levels as the facelifted first-generation model, with either manual transmission or CVT. The first 200 units of the car were delivered to customers in Jakarta on 13 October 2018. Sales began nationwide in the same month. Equipment list is mostly carried over from the previous generation.

On 18 February 2021, the Urbanite Edition based on RS grade was launched. The variant received an update on 20 April 2022.

Philippines

The second-generation Brio was launched in the Philippines on 23 April 2019 and is imported from Indonesia. Grade levels consist of S MT, V CVT, RS CVT and RS Black Top CVT.

Vietnam

The second-generation Brio RS was displayed as a prototype model in October 2018 at the Vietnam Motorshow. It was launched in Vietnam on 18 June 2019. As with the Philippine market, the second-generation Brio for the Vietnamese market is also imported from Indonesia.

Gallery

File:2020 Honda Brio Satya S 1.2 DD1 (20211001) 01.jpg, 2020 Brio Satya S (DD1, Indonesia)
File:2020 Honda Brio Satya E 1.2 DD1 (20220409) 02.jpg, 2020 Brio Satya E (DD1, Indonesia)
File:2021 Honda Brio RS 1.2 DD1 (20220301).jpg, 2021 Brio RS (DD1, Indonesia)
File:2018 Honda Brio RS.jpg, 2018 Brio RS (DD1, Indonesia)
File:2021 Honda Brio RS Urbanite Edition 1.2 DD1 (20211117) 01.jpg, 2021 Brio RS Urbanite Edition (DD1, Indonesia)
File:2021 Honda Brio RS Urbanite Edition 1.2 DD1 (20211117) 02.jpg, 2021 Brio RS Urbanite Edition (DD1, Indonesia)
File:2022 Honda Brio RS Urbanite, IIMS Hybrid, Grand City, Central Surabaya (cropped).jpg, 2022 Brio RS Urbanite Edition (DD1, Indonesia)
File:Honda Brio RS - Gaikindo Indonesia International Auto Show 2018 - Interior - August 9 2018.jpg, 2018 Brio RS interior (Indonesia)
File:Honda Small RS Concept (2018 Indonesia International Motor Show, 04-26-2018), Central Jakarta.jpg, Small RS Concept

Sales

In 2015, the Brio Satya became the third best-selling car in the LCGC category in Indonesia. In 2019, the Brio emerged as the second best-selling passenger car in Indonesia behind the Toyota Avanza. In 2020, it gained the first position, replacing the Avanza which had held the position for 13 consecutive years. The Avanza regained this position in 2021. By April 2022, the Brio had been sold around 435,000 units in Indonesia.

In 2017, total sales in Asia and Oceania reached 65,325, an increase of 26% from the previous year.

References

External links

* (Indonesia)

{{Modern Honda vehicles

Brio
Cars introduced in 2011
2020s cars
City cars
Subcompact cars
Hatchbacks
Front-wheel-drive vehicles
Vehicles with CVT transmission