Honda Cars India has finalised plans to to roll out WR-V, a urban crossover which will compete with Maruti Suzuki’s Vitara Brezza.
WR-V, based on the Honda Jazz platform, will be priced more than ₹6.5 lakh and is expected to be introduced next month.
“I cannot reveal much but we are launching the WR-V which is based on the Jazz platform. This car will capture different kind of customers in India and we hope it will drive the sales in the coming weeks,” said Yoichiro Ueno, president and chief executive officer, Honda Cars India Ltd.
He said the response to the new City had been overwhelming with the company receiving more than 7,500 bookings in two weeks. “It has exceeded our expectations,” he said.
The top-of-the-line City model called ZY is priced more than ₹15 lakh on road and is possibly the costliest sedan in its segment. Honda City competes with Maruti Suzuki’s Ciaz and Hyundai’s Verna.
Premium segment
Mr.Ueno said as a future strategy, Honda would focus on the premium segment in India and introduce top-of-the-line cars in different segments.
“We will be focusing on premium segment. We will get some premium products which are sold in other countries. Why can’t they be sold in India, we are exploring that possibility,” Mr.Ueno said at a media round table in Mumbai.
He said Honda’s luxury brand Acura could be rolled out in India. Acura is currently sold in the U.S., Canada, China and Japan and this brand has SUVs, sedans and sports cars under its portfolio.
Honda is also looking at introducing the new Civic and the hybrid version of its luxury car Accord.
For capacity expansion in India, the Japanese auto major is mulling setting up a new plant at Vithalapur in Gujarat. The new plant will be located on 380 acres of land close to Honda’s two-wheeler plant in Gujarat. “This is at a preparatory stage,” Mr.Ueno said.
