Honda HR-V displayed to dealers in India, to be launched this year - Report

Honda had ruled out the HR-V for India due to cost concerns, but it seems like it is back in the pipeline now. Credible Team-BHP forum member RavenAvi says that the premium B-SUV will enter production in India very soon.

Honda has contemplated the current generation HR-V for India for a long time, so long that a full model change is less than a year away now. Originally introduced as the Vezel in November 2013, it received its mid-cycle update in February 2018.

RavenAvi says that Honda displayed the HR-V to dealership principals in New Delhi recently and may launch it the country this festive season. With the Indian customers gradually starting to accept more expensive B-SUVs, maybe the company has decided to finally launch the HR-V.

The current generation HR-V is nearly six years old now, and it will be replaced by an all-new model internationally later this year. A possibility is that Honda will take the benefit of the new import norms that allow the import of up to 2,500 CBUs/CKDs irrespective of their engine capacity and FOB value without homologation in India. Volkswagen is going to do the same for the T-Roc, which will be the chief competitor of Honda's HR-V here.

Honda may import CKD kits of the old HR-V in limited numbers and assemble them locally. If it receives a market response positive enough, it may decide to locally manufacture and launch the next-gen model.

Also Read: Honda studying SUVs based on second-gen Honda Amaze’s platform

The Honda HR-V may cost somewhere in the INR 15-20 lakh (ex-showroom) region in India. It may be offered with the 1.5-litre i-VTEC petrol engine (131 PS/155 Nm) paired with a 6-speed MT or a CVT, and/or the 1.6-litre i-DTEC diesel engine (120 PS/300 Nm) linked to a 6-speed MT.

[Source: team-bhp.com]