In India, we got the Honda Accord somewhere around the early 2000s, but the car traces back its legacy to as long as 1976 in the international markets. The Accord came to its age when it was launched in the U.S during the ’70s to cater to a market for fuel-efficient cars during the infamous oil crisis era. This car, over the years, came in various car body styles, but popularly it has always been recognised as the quintessential D-segment sedan around the world.
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Here in India, we also got the Accord in its sedan avatar launched in 2001. It was one of the first cars in the budding D-segment in India, and it was this time that we got to experience the Japanese luxe, which was fairly less expensive than the German offerings.
Today we take a look at the globally acclaimed Honda Accord’s journey on our Indian soil and what all versions of it we got to witness in India.
The Honda Accord was launched in India (2001)
The first Accord in India was the global sixth generation of the car and was launched on 5th July 2001. It was the first executive sedan by Honda in India and the flag bearer of the luxury segment for the brand in India. It was priced around Rs.15.75 Lakhs – Rs.16.55 Lakhs ex-showroom Delhi. The Accord was Honda’s Flagship Model worldwide and sold over a million cars around the globe. In India, Honda was able to sell 600 units of the car in a period of two months. That is a decent number for a car of its segment back in the day.
The second-generation Honda Accord in India (2004)
This was the part of the Accord’s chapter in India where the premium Honda sedan gained popularity in the Indian market. This was globally the seventh generation of Accord, and the one we got was specific to the Asia Pacific and North American markets. Launched in 2004, the new Accord came with a 2.4 Litre i-VTEC engine which delivered a good performance back then. The New Accord’s aesthetics were sportier and had a spacious cabin. This was the 7th generation in terms of the global Accord. Honda gave Indians the taste of V6 in March 2004 when the company launched the 3.0-litre V6 petrol version of the Accord. The engine churned out 221hp of power, which was rivalled by none in India then.
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The third Gen (2008) Honda Accord in India | The V6 era
This was the most exciting version of the Honda Accord that the Indian Market has. Launched in 2008, the design of the new Accord was a significant evolution from the previous variant. This Accord had all-new proportions and strong character lines all over, it was quite a stunning-looking machine retaining that executive sedan appeal with a fair amount of sportiness. The interiors were also very advanced, with a huge centre console with the quirks and features and retaining the spaciousness the Accord was known for.
Firstly, this generation Accord got the 2.4 Litre i-VTEC churning around 178bhp of power and 222Nm of peak torque.
The new Accord was also very well received both critically and by the public in India, but It was 2009 when things got super interesting for the Accord.
Honda 2009 launched the Accord with a 3.0 Litre V6 engine. This engine cranked out a whopping 275 Horsepower and 339Nm of torque and was mated to a 5-speed automatic. It had Variable Cylinder Management (VCM), ensuring some fuel efficiency along with all that power.
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The V6 Accord was a blend of performance and practicality, which was the USP of the car, packing all the power and luxury at almost half the price of the German cars.
Honda Accord with a minor Facelift (2011)
The Third gen of the Accord in India got a facelift in 2011 with minor updates, which stayed around till 2014, after that, this generation was gradually phased out for good by the company due to poor sales.
The 2016 Honda Accord Hybrid
The new and last generation of the Honda Accord that we got in India cared about the environment as this time around, it was a hybrid. The new Accord was launched in 2016 and has a 2.0 Litre i-VTEC producing 145hp of power and 175Nm of torque. It also had 1.3 kWh motors combining the total power output to 215hp. Despite these figures seeming exciting, the powertrain didn’t pack a punch on the road and was more on the linear side.
The new Accord was also high on all kinds of tech and features oozing comfort and luxury on the inside. But it came at a price, the latest Accord was priced around 37 lakhs ex-showroom Delhi, which stacked it right up with the German cars at that price point. The strong selling point of the Accord in India had always been providing luxury and performance at a price point much less than its German counterparts. But since that factor was no longer there, the new Accord bombed the market. No one was willing to pay such a premium for a Honda. Soon this Accord was also discontinued in India, with extremely few examples on the road.
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What’s next for the Honda Accord in India?
There is no update on whether Honda will bring in the future models of the Accord in India as Honda is currently focused on catering to different segments in the Indian Auto industry.
However, the accord has proven to be a worthy premium sedan and a fitting rival to the Toyota Camry and the Skoda Superb. Till then, the Accord lives on!
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Sorry to say but poor research…..you guys didn’t even mention the 2nd gen (2004) also came with a V6.👎
Hi Jacob,
It’s the readers like you who bring the best out of us. Thanks for pointing out. We have updated the article. Stay pinned!
The 2008 “Gen 3″(In India) got a 3.5L V6 not a 3.0L V6. Barring that inaccuracy I appreciate that this article is bringing this beast of a car (as far as Indian standards go) to light, as most India car “enthusiasts” are unaware of the Accord V6.