According to a few sources, Honda Cars India will soon discontinue the production of a few of its cars in the country. This is a direct result of the declining sales. The Japanese carmaker’s Indian lineup has also gradually gone down. Two years back, in 2020, Honda also discontinued its two premium offerings, the Civic and CR-V. As a result of this, the brand also shut down its manufacturing plant in Greater Noida in Uttar Pradesh. As of now, Honda’s only manufacturing plant in India is in Tapukara, Rajasthan.
Honda Jazz, 4th-Gen City & WR-V To Be Discontinued
According to sources, Honda will soon pull the plug on three of its models. These will be – The Honda Jazz, 4th-Gen City and WR-V. A new report states that Honda will discontinue all three by FY 2023. The first one to go off the market will be the Jazz. Sources said that Honda will stop producing the hatchback beyond October 2022. Next will be the 4th generation of the Honda City, which will not be available after December 2022. The last model Honda will discontinue is the WR-V. Sources say Honda will stop producing the crossover after March 2023.
With these three models gone, Honda will have only three models in its lineup. These will be – Honda City, Honda City e:HEV and Honda Amaze. The Jazz and WR-V are one of the best-sellers for the brand in India. However, the increase in demand for SUVs saw sales go down gradually.
Honda’s Creta-rivalling SUV
Sources suggest Honda is gearing up to launch an all-new compact SUV in the Indian market. This new SUV will hit the Indian market after Honda takes the WR-V off the market. The codename of this new SUV is 3US/31XA. Honda will start producing the SUV in August 2023. The brand is expected to ship 40,000 units in the first year itself.
The new SUV from Honda will take on rivals like the Hyundai Creta, Kia Seltos, Skoda Kushaq and Volkswagen Taigun. It will also go up against soon-to-be-launched Maruti Suzuki Grand Vitara and Toyota Urban Cruiser HyRyder. SUVs make up a big chunk of overall car sales in India, 32 per cent to be precise. Reports suggest that figure will grow to 40 per cent in the future.
Not having an SUV in its lineup will only shrink Honda’s market share. In FY 2022, utility vehicles outsold passenger cars for the first time. Thus, while Honda suffered, brands like Hyundai and Kia, who have multiple SUVs in their lineup, gained.
Also Read: New Honda Accord design patents leak
