[CarguyNish]

Indian version skips Magic Seats (Due to costs, according to Honda). While the above images are of Brazilian Spec WR-V.

Rear seat is carried over from lower spec variants of Jazz.

With Petrol being less equipped then Diesel, I guess Honda is going to price petrol well, but still it will be higher then competition. I won't be surprised if WR-V Petrol is 40-50k more then Ecosport 1.5 P, while Diesel will be around 1.5 lakh more then Petrol. Expect WR-V Diesel to be more expensive then Brezza by around 30-50k.

Post pricing, if Honda sells around 200-300 units/month of WR-V, they will be smiling I guess.

[Debajyoti]

Brezza and Ecosport:
Lots of bells and whistles in the top spec
Efficient, refined and reliable 1.3 MJD, powerful 1.5 petrol and diesel of ford, turbocharged Ecoboost Boostejet (in future)
CVT, 6 airbag option in Ford
Solid Ford build quality
Good aftersales

Cross Polo, i20 Active, Etios Cross:
Feature list which are neither barebones nor segment first
Unimpressive engines
Solidly build (not so solid but safe according to NCAP in case of Etios)
Sales-wise an underperforming segment

W-RV:
Unimpressive petrol and Unrefined diesel engines compared to others
Build quality more like Brezza than Ecosport, Cross Polo, i20 Active
No CVT, no magic seats, not even adjustable rear headrests
Sunroof is the only wow factor

Product-wise WR-V is more of a serious threat to cross hatchbacks than a subcompact SUV. But it will be "premiumly" priced even more than the subcompact SUVs. So another car to join the list of Brio, Mobilio, BR-V. As far as I can remember, Brazilian media reported WR-V received a lukewarm response in the Sao Paulo auto expo. Only thing left premium in Honda now is their pricing, not the products. I have a feeling even the mighty City might face tough competition when Ciaz and Verna facelift launches. But nothing will change because "Honda is Honda"

[Simhi]

Originally Posted by volkman10

Here is the Brazilian specs
...
FORMER option will have four airbags (front and side) and EXL will have six airbags (front, side and curtain).

And we in India will be given only 2 airbags. Why don't manufacturers at least try to judge the demand by providing optional safety pack (say 6 airbags, VSA, HAC etc) across all variants? If they see the demand, they can then make it part of the variant.

Right now, they don't provide the option at all or restrict to top variant alone (in case of Honda City) ? At least by providing the option they can differentiate from other manufacturers and justify their brand premiumness.

[GTO]

Originally Posted by Sebzgeo89

No CVT. No magic seats or 60:40 split. Fixed rear headrests. Lethargic petrol and a noisy diesel. In what world is this car premium?

I agree with this post. As Austin Powers would say, 'Honda has lost its mojo'. The company has totally forgotten what it stood for.

It's disappointing that they have such a sweet 1.5L petrol, but aren't offering it - not even in the high-end variants. This could've been a big draw for people. Cutting back on equipment (magic seats etc.) and convenience features (CVT) is a brain-dead decision.

Honda is entering a crowded segment. What 'new' thing are they bringing to the table?

Compare this to how Ford launched the EcoSport years back. Wide range of engines (including a powerful turbo-petrol), loaded to the gills with features and a car that was so good that it's still a darn good choice today.

I also don't get this stupid fascination with 'RV'. CR-V was okay, BR-V was bearable, but now WR-V! Sounds like the work of a lazy team that couldn't come up with any creative names. Look at Maruti's superb branding of the Vitara Brezza. Mercedes might use 'Class' (e.g. A-Class, S-Class), but they are Mercedes and models like the E-Class, S-Class etc. have decades of brand equity.

[CrAzY dRiVeR]

http://www.carblogindia.com/honda-wr...aruti-s-cross/

Carblogindia compares (on paper) the WRV with the S-Cross. Says the comparison is justified because of the expected price overlap between the two.

Originally Posted by GTO

I also don't get this stupid fascination with 'RV'. CR-V was okay, BR-V was bearable, but now WR-V!

Not to mention the expanded version is extremely cheesy, for all other than the CRV.

CRV- "C"omfortable "R"unabout "V"ehicle.
BRV- "B"old "R"unabout "V"ehicle.

HRV- "H"i-rider "R"evolutionary "V"ehicle.
WRV- "W"insome "R"unabout "V"ehicle.

[vb-saan]

I won’t be surprised if they price this on par (or above) with the S-Cross. I think Honda’s idea of premium is just premium pricing, not the product as such.

Originally Posted by GTO

I also don't get this stupid fascination with 'RV'. CR-V was okay, BR-V was bearable, but now WR-V! Sounds like the work of a lazy team that couldn't come up with any creative names.

Not to forget the HR-V; that too when the same model has a decent name (Vezel) in its home country.

[aargee]

Originally Posted by CrAzY dRiVeR

[url]Carblogindia compares (on paper) the WRV with the S-Cross. Says the comparison is justified because of the expected price overlap between the two

Article is highly biased towards WR-V & too many jazz (based on jazz, power of jazz, unmistakably jazz, resemblance to jazz, straight from jazz) with their guesstimated price, which seems justifiable on papers especially when they haven't taken into consideration on wide spread ASC of Maruti, service costs. They also missed out mentioning the sunroof with WR-V & they couldn't even get a proper interior of WR-V!! Would rather wait & read the RELIABLE T-Bhp review!!

[Alfresco]

Companies like Honda get stuck in the hole they have created for themselves. They had positioned themselves as a premium brand with great engineering. So they demanded and got the price they asked. The problem with most brands positioning themselves as premium is that customers, especially automotive ones, are demanding to know what they are getting in terms of product quality, reliability and, lately, gizmos. Most customers are not blindly going in for the brand name and willing to pay on the basis of said name alone.

Now, companies like Honda want to maintain that difference in price with their competition, especially the Koreans. If they give even more features then the difference in price becomes too large for a customer base like India's. So they are in a quandary. Too high a price won't draw customers and price cutting shall erode their premium-ness. Damned if they do, damned if they don't!
(One thing people have to understand is that pricing of any product in the market is not necessarily correlated to its production cost!)

Such companies die a slow death as they can't get themselves out of the hole!
To survive, Honda has to acknowledge that the Asian market is slowly becoming like the US one where Honda and Toyota had to come up with Acura and Lexus respectively to attract premium-paying customers who identified Accord and Camry as family sedans!
The Indian market still has a long way to go before it reaches that level but the shift in preference is taking place on a continuous basis. Look at people's reaction to Nano. Look at the sales figures as per http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/indian...-analysis.html
From Nov 2015 to Oct 2016, the C2 segment had the highest growth at 43% and with very good volumes. Contrast this with the A segment growth at 24% (I took Sep 2016 figure for this calculation).
The same shift happened in the motorcycle industry also where 100cc ruled but now 125cc and 150cc are considered normal.

Honda has to realise that either you carve out a niche for yourself, like Toyota has done with Innova and Fortuner, or you give people desirable VFM products if you want to remain in the reckoning.

[Debajyoti]

Originally Posted by CrAzY dRiVeR

Carblogindia compares (on paper) the WRV with the S-Cross. Says the comparison is justified because of the expected price overlap between the two.

WR-V is just a properly executed cross version of the Jazz, comparable to i20 Active, Cross Polo etc. Indian Jazz itself was a notch lower, quality and feature-wise than the other premium hatches like the Elite i20, Polo etc. So comparing WR-V with Brezza and Ecosport segment was a stretch itself, but comparing it with the S-Cross? Seriously? What next, comparing WR-V with the GLA?

[Jaggu]

Originally Posted by CrAzY dRiVeR

Says the comparison is justified because of the expected price overlap between the two.

Attachment 1614817

Originally Posted by CrAzY dRiVeR

Not to mention the expanded version is extremely cheesy, for all other than the CRV.
====
WRV- "W"insome "R"unabout "V"ehicle.

Originally Posted by Debajyoti

WR-V is just a properly executed cross version of the Jazz, comparable to i20 Active, Cross Polo etc. Indian Jazz itself was a notch lower, quality and feature-wise than the other premium hatches like the Elite i20, Polo etc. So comparing WR-V with Brezza and Ecosport segment was a stretch itself, but comparing it with the S-Cross? Seriously? What next, comparing WR-V with the GLA?

What a way to start the day! Had me

But you guys are spot on with your observations, Honda is really gone bonkers. They would need a serious re-look into their strategy if they want to be leaders in indian market.

Originally Posted by Alfresco

Companies like Honda get stuck in the hole they have created for themselves. They had positioned themselves as a premium brand with great engineering. So they demanded and got the price they asked. The problem with most brands positioning themselves as premium is that customers, especially automotive ones, are demanding to know what they are getting in terms of product quality, reliability and, lately, gizmos. Most customers are not blindly going in for the brand name and willing to pay on the basis of said name alone.
=======
Such companies die a slow death as they can't get themselves out of the hole!

Bingo! time to wake up and smell it! Unfortunately a great deal of Indian buyers still go awe at H logo and blindly buy and live with it, the recent booking data for City should be some proof of that.

It is a different story that this will plummet soon, "ok" for a life end model like City, but definitely won't be good for a new model like WR-V!

[YC.BALENO.CHD]

Originally Posted by aargee

Article is highly biased towards WR-V & too many jazz (based on jazz, power of jazz, unmistakably jazz, resemblance to jazz, straight from jazz) with their guesstimated price, which seems justifiable on papers especially when they haven't taken into consideration on wide spread ASC of Maruti, service costs. They also missed out mentioning the sunroof with WR-V & they couldn't even get a proper interior of WR-V!! Would rather wait & read the RELIABLE T-Bhp review!!

Biased towards WR-V? It's the S-Cross that has been portrayed as a better option. They have mentioned WR-V getting a sunroof, and the S-Cross missing it. Still, sunroofs aren't much good in our climate. No?

Regards

[The Brutailer]

All Honda had to do was put the 1.5 iVtec in the WRV and it would've whooped the likes of Brezza and Ecosport and probably even S-Cross.

Definitely a missed opportunity and this model is mostly going to become a flop like BRV.

WRV = Jazz with cosmetic steroids.

[YC.BALENO.CHD]

Originally Posted by The Brutailer

All Honda had to do was put the 1.5 iVtec in the WRV and it would've whooped the likes of Brezza and Ecosport and probably even S-Cross.

Definitely a missed opportunity and this model is mostly going to become a flop like BRV.

WRV = Jazz with cosmetic steroids.

Agree. The 1.5 iVTEC, if nothing else, would have at least helped WRV have a more premium image than the Jazz. But then, prices might have become too high.

Already, Honda cant' do a Hyundai. Hyundai managed to sell at least some i20 Active due to high waiting period on the Elite. The Jazz is already a dud on the sales charts. I wonder if the WR-V would do any good to Honda.

[KiloAlpha]

Originally Posted by CrAzY dRiVeR

http://www.carblogindia.com/honda-wr...aruti-s-cross/

Carblogindia compares (on paper) the WRV with the S-Cross. Says the comparison is justified because of the expected price overlap between the two.

The previous generation Jazz, when launched, made the Hyundai i20 seem like quite good value. Sales went northwards, and stayed that way for years.

If the pricing information is correct, the Jazz based crossover is about to do the same favour to the S-Cross. Maruti production planners and marketing team - hope you are keeping an eye on this

[RavenAvi]

Originally Posted by YC.BALENO.CHD

Agree. The 1.5 iVTEC, if nothing else, would have at least helped WRV have a more premium image than the Jazz. But then, prices might have become too high.

Looking at the pricing of the first 3 City variants (petrol S, SV & V), a competitive price for a possible 1.5L WR-V i-VTEC could have been reached.

The City V MT 1.5L i-VTEC is at Rs 9.99 lakhs, ex-showroom Delhi. Why couldn't they offer a WR-V VX MT 1.5L i-VTEC at around 50,000 rupees less?

Although, missing features on the WR-V petrol variants (push button start, cruise control, etc.), leaves a bad taste in the mouth, but Honda could have made up for it with an aggressive price.

After all, they ducked under the 4m rule in classic EcoSport style (3999mm), and made some savings in duty costs there. Could have used that and made the customers sit up and notice their all-new offering in the compact crossover segment.

May even have cracked it, with the WR-V's distinctive looks, Honda badge and the 1.5L i-VTEC.

But now, we shall never know, shall we?