[2000rpm]

Look what I found today!!

[AmitSingapore]

Originally Posted by itwasntme

Death by a thousand cuts. Honda will quietly shelf their mythical SUV and be gone by 2023/4. They can easily retain a small plant for CKD e-HEV assembly.

Igominious end to a pedigree consisting of the first generation City, overall VTEC engines and the Accord / first generation Civic.

Wonder who they will blame in their press release.

Isn’t the blame should be on the people and the car buying Indian mindset in general ?

Won’t pay for quality and happy with a tin cup like Dzire ! We need to understand that with global supply line going through a generational change - a 10 lac INR car (15K USD) can’t come with the quality, power, and mileage all packed together !

Govt flip flops ? Taxation ? Dealer’s high-handedness ?

All & every vehicle (including motorcycles like Ninja 300) whenever it becomes “made in india” - amazingly loose it’s inherent quality ?

Why ? I think it’s high time India starts looking inwards.

And No - Honda is going nowhere. It (& many others are following) will become niche at a certain point in the very near future. Car prices need to go high, so that connoisseur’s will get the quality, private car ownership of the tin cups need to go down (sustainability). There is nothing called Cheap luxury !


A potential R tagged vehicle perhaps coming soon. Thank you.

[Hemi6.2]

Originally Posted by GreasyCarb55

Hopefully they bring the 4th gen Honda Jazz to India, the 4th gen car looks great and all the engine options looks good (1.3L 97hp Petrol, 2 1.5L Petrol engines rated at 119hp and 130hp and one 1.5L Hybrid that makes a combined 204hp) and the standard model comes in just below the 4m in terms of length.

This Latest generation Jazz is exclusive to European markets, with more upmarket quality, build and tech.
The Asean countries get the City Hatchback which is the successor to the Jazz being sold in India. Now, the thing is that the city hatch is >4m (4349 mm to be exact).
So, sadly there is neither a place for the city hatch nor the European Jazz in the Indian market.

[WorkingGuru]

If the criteria was profitability, then Honda wouldn't be scaling down (/leaving) at a time of booming car prices when it's a seller's market, with the laws & economic conditions being same for all players.

The Korean Kia, by achieving break-even in 15 months, proved that the market is indeed sufficiently mature.

Anyway, IMO all indicators show that it's solely a discretionary decision by Honda.

[charanreddy]

Honda is solely to blame for the place they are in. The WRV was an outlier for Honda, one of the only times they were on time for a customer demand : CSUV trend. Then typical Honda style they shot themselves in the foot by not giving it an auto gearbox , when the cheaper amaze has it. Jazz again was brilliant and they let it die. Each of Jazz’s competitors have at least undergone 2 generation changes while the Jazz rested on its laurels.

I won’t be too surprised if Honda goes the Chevrolet / Ford way ..

[s.sriram1989@gm]

Originally Posted by SoumenD

Stopping production isn't an issue. My only fear is if they shut shops like Ford. Although looking at City & Amaze numbers doesn't seem so but you never know. They still enjoy a 'trust' in our market but just aren't ready to capitalize on it. Heck, they didnt even need to reinvent the wheel, just get the god damned HR-V, plonk in the city engine and that itself could have easily given them another 3-4k shipments easily, maybe more.

There are a very few cars in market which are structurally stable/safe. Sadly with Polo gone and Jazz on its way out, the hatch segment will be left only with Altroz now.

You can look for Maruti Baleno / Toyota Glanza. Honda could have ruled the market, so could Toyota, they sell many models and cars worldwide and since Indian car buyers are getting educated about features and safety, India has a very good potential for their growth. Maybe due to tax structure, these companies are not finding interest in Indian market.

[kovilkalai]

My first ever car was a used Honda Civic 5-door hatchback (bought when I was studying in the USA). It was a roomy compact runabout that was very practical. I had good times with it. Today, I own a Jazz as a city runabout. While I have some minor gripes with the car and the service, I have always felt that Hondas make the most practical user-friendly cars. It is sad that they weren't willing to bet on their strong brand in India while companies like Kia came in late and established themselves.

Looking at Honda's portfolio globally, there doesn't seem to be anything that make a dent in the India market. My gut tells me that they are packing their bags

[MT_Hyderabad]

Wow, this is an amazing thread to contribute and come back after two years and see what played out in reality.

I don't want to believe that Honda is packing their bags, but their left out offerings (in ICEs) are not so confidence inspiring.

Honda recently announced a JV with Sony to form Sony-Honda Mobility Inc.

https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/...w/92271495.cms

This paves way for their formal exit from the ICEs and focus on EVs and Hybrids.

Teambhp thread on this news didn't had much footfall, but I think it is time to visit this thread and correlate both the news and then build a perspective.
https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/elect...ml#post5270826 (Honda & Sony join hands to build electric vehicles; first model to debut in 2025)

[searacer932]

I never understood why Honda discontinued the BRV's Petrol Edition and never understood why they never plonked in the 1.5 iVTec onto the WRV.

It was almost like other manufacturer's people had infiltrated Honda and were influencing all the major decisions!

[tirumalavoleti]

While it is too sad to see this state for Honda India, being an Honda owner with so much pride in owning, it is equally bad on Honda India to not have a proper strategy exposure.

Many folks are optimistic about their existence, but there is no forward looking PR from Honda India. All the news are dropped, shelved, postponed, axed, etc.

Honda India first needs a positive energy in promoting the strategy, let it take what ever it takes. VW group 2.0 is an example, they are pretty late to the party, but the way they campaigned and executed is commendable in terms of PR

[brohanv]

While like every Indian that enjoys the sensation of a communicative steering wheel and dynamic capabilities to match, I felt the absence of Ford in the market post its exist leaving behind vacuums where the endeavour and ecosport once stood, the exit of Honda which seems like an imminent reality now is truly saddening. It has been a story of great rise and fall, they had everything going for them, an early-movers advantage, brand value, a loyal customer-base and most of all unparalleled aspirational value in the Honda City. For a company that made such strides in India and gave us some of the most fun to drive cars over the years, it's sad to see that their end would come in such an underwhelming manner. All because of what seems like inattention to the Indian Market. Their brand values got confusing but even then pre-2012 with their all petrol line up, they had some of the most solidly built and quick offerings in the market; they even found success trying to match hyundai and maruti shoulder to shoulder. Truly commendable stuff, makes me worry now as a middle-class consumer at the prospect of a maruti-hyundai duopoly. Are the days of fun, analog cars behind us? Have they succumbed to gizmo-loaded laptops on wheels?

[specialist1968]

IMHO, Honda never believed in the Indian story and gave its 100%. They started with City which was undoubtedly a wonderful car, but manufactured (panels stamped) elsewhere and imported here. Suzuki, Hyundai, Kia all stated with full fledged manufacturing facility in comparison. I always felt from the late nineties that the Honda had an apprehensive stand "should we stay" or "should we go". I know people who had to wait for weeks for a replacement bumper. No attempt till date to bring a replacement for its ace cars like Jazz of WRV. No diesel option for CRV. We hear about a model or two coming, and that always remains as a news. Sorry to say this now. I wanted to say this for over two decades. (I love Honda cars not just for the engineering, but for the looks too. But fearful of investing in one).

[lionheart_mm]

Originally Posted by Hickstead

Meanwhile, Honda in Pakistan ! Never understand why India is inferior for Honda. Very eager to know what R&D Honda has done in India and under whose leadership.

Does not make any sense to launch it in India. It is only like 2lac cheaper than CR-V in the UAE and if launched in India probably it could be around 25-30 lac and will be dead on arrival. Pakistan is not a competitive car market like ours.

[CEF_Beasts]

Originally Posted by lionheart_mm

Does not make any sense to launch it in India. It is only like 2lac cheaper than CR-V in the UAE and if launched in India probably it could be around 25-30 lac and will be dead on arrival. Pakistan is not a competitive car market like ours.

The CR-V in India was 35-40 Lakh which was much higher than what it is in UAE even currently.

The HR-V to me makes sense in India even at 25-30 Lakh, but it should have the turbo-petrol or hybrid, only then it can justify the premium…

[Durango Dude]

The "compact SUV" ruse is just to keep the dealers and suppliers happy, which, by now even they may have 'seen through'. There's no compact SUV coming is my guess. By now we have lost track of how many times Honda has announced a product and retracted the same, saying it's "not feasible".