Honda likely to bring HR-V to India

Honda Car India Limited (HCIL), which launched the BR-V compact SUV on May 5, has got over 9,000 bookings in a month. Capitalising on the boom in the SUV segment, the Japanese carmaker is planning to bring the HR-V from its international portfolio.

Said to be pitted against Hyundai Tucson, the entry of HR-V to India can be expected sometime in 2017, according to reports. HCIL president and CEO, Yoichiro Ueno, said that the SUV segment is the fastest-growing in India and if it observes further growth, the company will address it by launching new models. If the company goes ahead with the launch plan of HR-V, it will fill the gap between the BR-V and the CR-V.

Based on the same platform as the Honda Jazz, the HR-V is powered by a 1.8-litre in-line 4 cylinder petrol engine that develops 142bhp and 172Nm of torque mated to either a 6-speed manual or a CVT transmission.

The India-spec HR-V may borrow 1.5-litre turbocharged petrol unit from the Civic coupe. The diesel option will be the 1.5-litre i-DTEC unit, which is employed in most of the diesel cars of Honda in India. The diesel engine in HR-V is expected to come with higher state of tune.

Though the HR-V prices are not yet revealed, it can be expected in the range of Rs. 15 lakh to 20 lakh and at that price point, it will lock horns against the soon-to-be-launched Hyundai Tucson.

Source : BS Motoring