Honda To Launch A Made-In-India SUV Next Year

Japanese carmaker Honda will introduce an India-specific SUV next year, which is expected to be a midsize model (Hyundai Creta rival)

Honda Cars India is planning to expand its lineup in our market, and a new SUV is currently in development. The popularity of SUVs has seen a major increase over the last few years, and it is expected to grow further this year. As such, it makes sense for the Japanese automaker to expand its presence in this market space at the earliest.

Currently, Honda has only four models in its lineup – Amaze, Jazz, WR-V and City. Honda City is available in two versions – the fourth-generation version and the fifth-generation version. The hybrid variant of the newer version (City e:HEV) was unveiled in India recently, and it will go on sale in our market early next month.

While Honda WR-V operates in the hotly-contested compact SUV segment, the lack of major updates over the years has caused its sales to take a drastic hit. In March 2022, a total of 251 units of the little Honda crossover were sold in India, which is a massive 74 per cent sales decline on a Year-on-Year basis. The manufacturer has no contender in the midsize SUV market space.

Takuya Tsumura, the new CEO and President of Honda Cars India, was quoted saying: “The SUV segment is growing and we should have (ideally) had some products but we do not. But we can fight back in the market and with people shifting to SUVs we can get them to Honda.”

“We cannot delve too much into the past. I see a bright future ahead. We have to believe in it,” he continued. Details about Honda’s upcoming India-specific SUV are scarce, but it is expected to be a rival to Hyundai Creta, Kia Seltos, Skoda Kushaq, VW Taigun, etc. This new SUV will be a made-in-India, made-for-India model.

In FY21-22, UV sales (SUV and MPV) surpassed small car sales (sedans and hatchbacks) in India, posting extremely strong overall growth figures. Car brands with UV-focussed portfolios, like Tata, Kia, Mahindra & Mahindra, have seen a lot of success consequently. Other automakers, like Maruti Suzuki, Hyundai, Honda, etc., have seen their market share fall over the course of the last fiscal year.

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