Honda HR-V India Launch Plans Reportedly Shelved

Even though Honda has made numerous attempts to bring the Honda HR-V to the Indian market but the recent updates suggest that the schedule got a backslide. The Japanese automobile giant was hopeful about the plan due to which the mid-size SUV was in its production process but owing to a few factors it got astray. According to a recent report by Autocar India, the Honda HR-V will not be brought to the Indian market.

However, when enquired about the rumours from the company’s official, they refused to open about the speculations. Following the launch of the mid-size SUV in the US and Japan, the brand had initiated a feasibility study back in 2013. The company soon realised that it will not be able to launch the product with a competitive price tag as the HR-V comprises a number of components that need to be imported.

This will, as a result, prove to be a major obstacle in bringing the Honda HR-V at an aggressive price range. Honda was looking forward to launching the HR-V in India with a 1.6-litre turbocharged diesel engine along with a 1.8-litre naturally-aspirated petrol engine. In terms of dimensions, the Honda HR-V is a 4.2-metre long crossover that has a monocoque construction, and if launched, it would have been competing with the likes of Hyundai Creta and the Kia Seltos.

It was 2017, that the company finally was ready for HR-V’s much-anticipated launch in India and thus to keep the prices low, it tried to localise the model as far as possible. The current slowdown compelled Honda to cut down the production from 12,000 units to 8,000 units, which weren’t good for their business.

Even after the localisation attempts, the model only achieved 30% localisation, hence the 70% imported components from Thailand and China would make it difficult for the brand to price the car competitively. All these factors hint at the call back of the launch of the Honda HR-V, meanwhile, the company is focusing on the launch of the fifth-generation Honda City scheduled for 2020.