Honda India’s President and CEO recently confirmed that an all-new SUV would launch in India next year and it could be the Amaze-based compact SUV
Honda Cars India’s President and CEO, Takuya Tsumura, has confirmed in a recent interview that his brand is planning to enter the lucrative SUV segment next year. He was quoted saying: “The SUV market has grown robustly and now accounts for around 50 per cent of the overall passenger vehicle segment. We are not participating in that segment. We are confident that with the launch of the SUV next year, we will enhance volumes,”
The Japanese manufacturer is widely reported to be working on two SUVs for India – one is a compact SUV and the other is a midsize SUV. Following the discontinuation of the CR-V and Civic due to the closure of the Greater Noida plant, Honda’s domestic portfolio has shrunken to Amaze, City, Jazz and WR-V with the sedan duo garnering higher sales volumes.
With the future of the Jazz and WR- V remaining uncertain, the upcoming compact SUV, internally codenamed 3US, holds plenty of significance as it could replace the Jazz-platform based WR-V crossover. It will likely take on Tata Nexon, Maruti Suzuki Brezza, Hyundai Venue, Kia Sonet, Mahindra XUV300, Nissan Magnite and Renault Kiger.
The sub-four-metre SUV segment has seen plenty of action in recent years and Honda wants to jump on the bandwagon. The Honda 3US will likely be underpinned by the same platform as the Amaze sedan and it will be rolled out of the brand’s Tapukara plant in Rajasthan for sale in the domestic as well as foreign markets.
While recent speculations suggest that Honda may not sell its diesel engines moving forwards due to the more stringent upcoming emission standards, it will be interesting to see if the 1.5-litre i-DTEC diesel engine will be offered in the compact SUV or not. The 1.2-litre i-VTEC petrol employed in the Amaze is highly likely though.
The possibilities of the CVT being sold as an option do exist as well. The compact SUV could be introduced midway through next year while an all-new midsize SUV based on the City is believed to be in the pipeline for early 2024.