Honda midsize SUV will be unveiled by the middle of this year before going on sale in India; will compete against Creta, Seltos, Grand Vitara, etc
Honda will host the world premiere of an all-new midsize SUV by the middle of this calendar year and it will go on sale around July or August 2023 in the domestic market. It has already been caught testing in India and will have several commonalities with the fifth-generation City, which received a mild update recently.
The midsize SUV will compete against Hyundai Creta, Kia Seltos, Maruti Suzuki Grand Vitara, Toyota Urban Cruiser Hyryder, VW Taigun, Skoda Kushaq, MG Astor and others in the highly competitive segment. Honda currently sells only the City and Amaze in India due to the advent of more stringent emission standards and the upcoming midsize SUV will carry plenty of importance to increase its monthly volumes.
Judging by the spy images, it is clear that the five-seater takes design inspiration from the latest WR-V sold abroad and other global SUVs with an upright front fascia. The exterior will boast sharp LED headlamps as in the CR-V, wraparound LED tail lamps, sporty alloy wheels, and prominent front and rear bumpers. It will have an overall length of around 4.3 metres.
It will sit on the same platform as the latest City midsize sedan. The familiar 1.5L four-cylinder NA petrol engine developing a maximum power output of 121 hp will be offered. It will be mated to a six-speed MT or a CVT auto. The 1.5L strong hybrid petrol engine will also be available, paired with an e-CVT but whether it will be sold right away or not is yet unknown.
The absence of any diesel engine meant that the Honda midsize SUV will not feature the i-DTEC tech. It is expected to carry heavy local content and the prices could hover around Rs. 11.5 lakh for the base variant and it may go all the way up to Rs. 18 lakh for the range-topping model (ex-showroom).
The top-spec models could come with ADAS based driver assistive and safety technologies while the features list will boast a large touchscreen infotainment system with wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto compatibility, six airbags, automatic climate control, an electric sunroof, a semi-digital instrument console with a large MID, etc.