Honda to launch their all-new compact SUV in India next year

Clearing up the cloud over the rumours of Honda leaving Indian market, Honda Cars India has now confirmed that they are currently working on launching a brand new compact SUV. The Japanese car maker had announced that they would be soon discontinuing diesel engines from their models. Along with that models like Jazz, WR-V and 4th Gen Honda City would be discontinued. The upcoming compact SUV will compete with cars like Hyundai Creta, Kia Seltos and upcoming Maruti Grand Vitara and Toyota Hyryder. The upcoming Honda SUV is expected to be launched in the market next year.

Speaking to news agency, Takuya Tsumura, Honda Cars India President and CEO has told that Honda has witnessed a tough time in the last three years. The reason behind this was the global shift of the brand towards electric vehicles, restructuring its facilities and operations. With the launch of new compact SUV, Honda aims to make a comeback in the Idian market. The manufacturer has confirmed that the development phase for the upcoming compact SUV is complete and it will soon enter the production line. They are currently making final adjustments to the product.

Also read: Skoda Kushaq Monte Carlo: New details surface

As of now, the manufacturer has not shared any detail about the name of the upcoming SUV. The upcoming Honda SUV is expected to get a design inspired from the RS SUV Cocept which was showcased at the Gaikindo Indonesia International Auto Show (GIIAS) 2022. Details regarding the platform and the features are expected to surface online in near future. Honda has introduced SUVs in the past but, they have never been very succesful. They had BR-V and even CR-V in the premium category.

The all-new SUV from Honda will be manufactured at Honda’s manufacturing facility in Tapukara, Rajasthan. With the introduction of the new SUV, Honda can utilise the production capacity of the plant in a better manner. Honda has already shut down the production at their Greater Noida plant. With the introduction of the new SUV, Honda aims at increasing the sales. The mid-size and compact SUV segments are very competitive and that is why the manufacturer has decided to attack in this segment. In order to get noticed in this segment, Honda will have to be careful with a lot of things like features, engine options and even the pricing.

Coming to the engine option, the upcoming SUV from Honda is likely to come with a petrol engine only. Honda has already confirmed that they might discontinue diesel engine options from all their offerings next year onwards. The upcoming SUV from Honda is most likely to be powered by a 1.5 litre naturally aspirated petrol engine that generates 121 Ps and 145 Nm of peak torque. It is the same engine that is currently offered with current gen Honda City sedan. The SUV will be offered with a manual and a CVT gearbox option. Other than the regular petrol engine, Honda might also offer a strong hybrid version of the upcoming SUV, just like Honda City. It would compete with the likes of Grand Vitara and Toyota Hyryder in the segment.

Also read: 10 DC Design cars & how they look in the REAL world: Maruti Swift to Mahindra XUV500