Ford, Honda cuts car prices by up to Rs 6,000

Car makers Ford India and Honda Siel Cars India today cut the prices of some of their models by up to Rs 6,000 a piece to pass on the benefit of excise duty cut on large cars announced in the Budget.

While Ford India announced a price cut of Rs 6,000 for its sport utility vehicle (SUV) 'Endeavour', Honda Siel Cars India (HSCI) reduced the prices by Rs 5,000 for its luxury sedan 'Accord' and SUV 'CR-V'.

"The price reduction of Rs 6,000 will be applicable to all three variants of the Endeavour," Ford India said in a statement.

"The duty reduction has been a welcome step taken by the government though the reduction is limited only to large cars. We are pleased to pass the benefit of the reduction on the Endeavour to the consumer in its entirety," Ford India Vice-President (Sales) Tim Tucker said.

Meanwhile, HSCI said following the price cuts, its Accord would be available between Rs 17.72 lakh and Rs 24.80 lakh. Its CR-V would now come at Rs 22.92-Rs 23.62 lakh.

Hindustan Motors had already reduced the prices of its partner Mitsubishi's Pajero, Outlander and Montero by Rs 6,000.

GM India, Toyota Kirloskar Motor and BMW had also said they would pass on the benefit of excise cuts to consumers.

The government had proposed to reduce the additional excise duty on big cars with engine capacities of 2,000 cc and above by Rs 5,000 per unit in the Budget for 2009-10. It also announced a duty cut on petrol-driven trucks to 8 per cent from 20 per cent at present.