Upon launch, Honda new compact SUV will be priced according to the segment, starting from around Rs. 10 – 11 lakh
Honda Car sales have been on the decline in the past few years. That’s not for lack of trying, because Honda tried. They launched multiple new cars. Products like CR-V and Civic did not deliver expected results. 9th gen Accord launched in hybrid guise didn’t see much success either.
Despite this, Honda has managed to continue in the Indian market, thanks to their sedans City and Amaze. But for how long can they continue to count on these sedans, especially when buyer preference is SUVs these days.
In addition, come April 2023, Honda will discontinue Jazz, WR-V, and 4th gen City off its lineup. This is due to phase II of BS6 transition which requires vehicles to comply with the norms under RDE conditions (Real Driving Conditions). By shedding 3 vehicles off its portfolio, Honda Cars India will be a two horse chariot by April 2023.
New Honda SUV Launch
What next? Well, they have some exciting new launches planned in 2023. Compact SUVs is one of the hotter segments in India right now and registers sales of over 35,000 units every month. Currently, it is the Creta and Seltos which are the leaders in this segment with about 22k sales. It is in this segment Honda is getting ready to make an entry.
That said, not a single test mule of Honda new compact SUV has been spotted till now in India. That has usually been the case for Honda Cars. Test mules of their upcoming cars for India are rarely spied before the actual debut. This is likely because most of the testing happens at their facilities outside India.
Specs & Features
Honda will have two powertrain options in its arsenal that will likely power this upcoming SUV. These are the 1.5L iVTEC petrol engine that powers City and the 1.5 liter strong hybrid unit that is found on City e:HEV. If the Honda SUV gets hybrid option, it will directly rival Grand Vitara and Hyryder hybrid variants.
To stay ahead, the company is likely to offer the Honda Sensing ADAS suite that is currently offered with City e:HEV. Other features might include ventilated seats, panoramic sunroof, automatic climate control, powered driver’s seats with memory function and more. Interior is likely to be specced similar to City hybrid.
Speaking about dimensions, New Honda SUV will be about 4,300 mm long. It will offer adequate ground clearance and a boot space of about 400 liters. Design might draw inspiration from 2023 WR-V SUV ,that was recently launched in Indonesia. More details are expected to be revealed in coming months.
