Team-BHP - Rumour: Honda India to launch HR-V

Quote:

Originally Posted by SPARKled (Post 4166959)

I am astonished that people are talking about 20L and comparing the Vezel aka H-RV to the Innova and the likes.

This thing has arised due to the pricing factor of the Honda HR-V when it launches here. It's just because of that (Price Speculation) that people are comparing it with various cars of different segments & types.

Honda has added Premium (Price) Tag to it. So, now each & every car they will be launching will be premiumly priced. They have done that before.

Examples -

Old City ZX was more expensive then SX4, Fiesta, Verna.
Old Honda Accord V6 was more expensive then Superb V6 with AWD.
Old CR-V was pricier then Captiva, Endeavour, Grand Vitara, Old X-Trail.

I am not talking about Civic & Jazz here since the former didn't had any serious rival apart from Corolla & the latter was launched at wrong time. That's a different thing all together.

Coming back to HR-V, at what price it will be launched is a speculation as said earlier. But also, at what level/segment is Honda trying to sell it another question. If a customer who comes to check this one & if that customer asks price the conversation would be like this,

SM - Sir 23 lakhs On Road,
Customer - 23 lakhs for this ? Is it a 7 Seater ?
SM - No sir, this is a 5 Seater
Customer- - Then Innova, Hexa are better.

What did one learn from above conversation, selling/buying a car is all about PP (Pricing & Positioning). We as enthusiasts look into each & every matter. But not the common man.

So, Pricing even if slightly higher then competition would do no harm, but wrong positioning will hurt that brand very severly.

If Honda prices HR-V above Creta with difference of <1.5-2 lakhs, people will buy HR-V. If they price it anything above its actual competition, this will be a failure, especially when market is SUV friendly & also has some big defaulted brands like Innova/XUV5OO/Octavia/Corolla etc.

Honda's future strategy is to have their premium products in line. They have said this clearly in the recent press meetings.
With the increased price of creta and positioning HRV with respect to the segment will only create complicate situation For Honda. Anyway, they are smart enough to think how they have to position their car's in existing dynamic Indian market. Honda always been late into the competition. But this time I hope they are reacting in a positive way. Hope the launch is soon.

Quote:

Originally Posted by RavenAvi (Post 4165683)

A very reliable Honda birdie tweets that Honda India has commenced production of the HR-V.

The HR-V project is now classified as "high priority", which means it could come before the all-new Civic.

Expect a launch in early 2018.

NDTV reporting that HR-V might not come in 2018 and also reporting that if it comes it would be positioned above BR-V .

That said, Honda's next launches aren't confirmed as yet. Reports suggest that the automaker is contemplating to bring the new generation Civic sedan in India along with the HR-V SUV that will be positioned above the BR-V. Both models though won't make it here before 2018.

http://auto.ndtv.com/news/honda-cars...l-2017-1671928

Quote:

Originally Posted by NaveenKD (Post 4167995)

For all those speculating the price of H-RV, please understand that Bezel/HRV/XRV as it's called is based on Jazz platform. It can't be priced on par with Crysta or Tucson. Hyundai Creta based on I20 platform is and will be the direct competition.

Yes, but by that logic BRV is based on Brio platform and yet competes against the Creta. Do remember that earlier Honda had refused to bring in Vezel / HRV as they thought it would be priced too high for Indian buyers - IIRC the price they had identified was ~16 lakhs (back in 2013/14). Source: http://www.autocarindia.com/auto-new...uv-368478.aspx

It's a joke on them that Hyundai came from a lower brand positioning and pulled off the success that is Creta, in a similar price range.

Coming back to Honda, it is very much in their powers to get the pricing wrong. Not convinced? Please refer the Mobilio. Still not convinced? Ok try the Accord hybrid.

Most likely, it will sit in the price range occupied by CRV, which will move up on account of the 7 seats in its new avatar.

Quote:

Originally Posted by RavenAvi (Post 4165683)

The HR-V project is now classified as "high priority", which means it could come before the all-new Civic.

Expect a launch in early 2018.

Hello RavenAvi, do you have any more info on the Honda HR-V pls? if they are slotting it for an early 2018 launch, we should get to hear of media drives etc by Dec / Jan perhaps with an unveil / launch during the Auto Expo?

Quote:

Originally Posted by Simhi (Post 4245736)

@RavenAvi, do you have any further information on HR-V launch date? Can we look forward to launch happening before March 2018? Any details on variants, features and specification?

Quote:

Originally Posted by uday.ere (Post 4284776)

Apologies for the late response, guys.

Well, I have no new info on developments related to the Indian version of the HR-V.

The last I heard was that they had made 3 test mules - 2 diesel, 1 petrol - and are conducting test runs/tests on them inside their plant premises. After that, nothing.

The latest from Honda is that they are mulling at least 1 big launch (big in terms of monthly sales) before the BS-VI norms kick in.

So, even if that turns out to be the HR-V in the end, it could be delayed. Maybe end-2018, if we are lucky.

As soon as I receive something new or concrete, rest assured that I shall post it here immediately. :thumbs up

2018 Honda HR-V (facelift) spied testing for the first time in Malaysia

Source: IAB
Link: https://indianautosblog.com/2017/12/...st-time-293619

Extract: The 2018 Honda HR-V will go on sale internationally next year. HCIL is in the process of finalizing bringing the Honda HR-V to India. If the plan is greenlit, then the launch could take place in 2019. However, it may not be a wise move to bring a product close to the end of its lifecycle

Amidst all the hullabaloo, Honda has quietly sneaked in the under performing WR-V :uncontrol

The HR-V in it's 1.5 iVTEC CVT avatar that does duty on the City should definitely dust away the likes of the Duster. Not sure what the wait is for.

BTW, it's high time Honda reconsidered the nomenclature with easier to remember alternatives! Just can't understand where "are we" (pun intended), or rather, they, headed :D