Honda HR-V SUV (Seltos Rival) Spied In India Again

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Honda HR-V has the potential to rival Kia Seltos, new-gen Hyundai Creta, Tata Harrier, Nissan Kicks and others

Honda’s HR-V has been spotted once again at the brand’s Tapukara facility in Rajasthan. Three black coloured HR-Vs and one in red paint scheme were parked inside the production base and it could suggest that Honda has not given up on the plans to introduce the premium SUV in the domestic market. Or, it could simply be used for other testing or transportation purposes within the factory.

The speculations surrounding the HR-V’s local debut had been there for several years. With the popularity of mid-size SUVs steadily growing among Indian consumers and Honda has a premium brand name courtesy of products like Civic and City, it was expected to jump into the bandwagon and try its hands on the highly appealing volume space.

The HR-V is also known as Vezel in market like Japan and it has already received good attention in the countries where it is retailed. Reports indicated that Honda could not localise the HR-V for more than 30 per cent due to the high import content involved and resultantly it would have been tough to price the five-seater competitively.

The feasibility study on the HR-V was conducted as early as 2013 in India and later in the year, the second-generation model was launched in Japan before expanding its reach to other markets. The BR-V and WR-V came into existence but they could not set the sales charts on fire for the Japanese auto giant.

Honda currently relies on new-gen City to revive its volume fortunes. Just as other manufacturers, Honda has also been updating its portfolio to meet BSVI emission standards before the April 2020 deadline. The heavily updated Honda City will go on sale next month.

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It will continue to compete against Maruti Suzuki Ciaz, upcoming Hyundai Verna facelift, Skoda Rapid, Volkswagen Vento and Toyota Yaris with evolutionary exterior changes and a more premium interior. We do expect Honda to enter the mid-size SUV in the near future as it is an opportunity that cannot be missed by a manufacturer of Honda’s scale.