Japanese car major Honda Cars India, which has been facing stagnant sales over the last two years, is hoping for a revival in fortunes with the launch of its maiden diesel sedan 'Amaze' in India in the first half next year.

Honda is expected to follow up this launch with at least four more diesel cars, including its best-selling sedan City, Jazz, Brio and an SUV based on the Jazz platform by the middle of this decade.

Amaze would be Honda's sub-4-metre entry level sedan based on the small car Brio. It will debut only with a petrol engine in Thailand later this month.

"The Amaze will be a significant product for us not only because it is a foray into a new segment but also our first car with a diesel engine," said Jnaneswar Sen, senior vice-president, sales and marketing, Honda India. "There will be more to follow so we hope it will lay the foundation to replicate the success of our petrol engines."

Amaze will compete directly with the likes of Maruti Swift Dzire, Toyota Etios, Mahindra Verito and Ford Classic. It is expected to be powered by a 1.5-litre diesel engine.

Honda is the only car maker in the country that does not have a diesel car in its portfolio. Its sales have stagnated at around 60,000 units per annum over the last 2 years, even as rivals strong in diesel cars like Toyota and Ford have zoomed ahead.