The Elevate EV (codenamed: DG9D) is said to have a potential annual volume of 1 lakh units.

According to a media report, Honda plans to set up an EV manufacturing hub in India. Under Project ACE, which stands for ‘Asian Compact Electric’, the carmaker plans to export 50-70% of the vehicles produced in India to overseas markets, including Japan.

An electric SUV based on the Honda Elevate is likely to be one of the first products under Project ACE. The Elevate EV (codenamed: DG9D) is said to have a potential annual volume of 1 lakh units and will debut around 2026.

Efforts are already being made to prepare the Tapukara plant for EV production. It has been confirmed by Honda Cars India that the retooling process will begin in 2024.

Honda’s Tapukara plant has sufficient capacity to accommodate another model line. That being said, the carmaker is open to increasing the capacity, especially since the factory will not only serve the domestic market but will be a global hub for exports.

Reports suggest that Honda Car India’s exports are likely to double by 2025, with export volumes making up around 30-40% of the total output.

Source: Autocar India

Driving on these mountain roads was going to be very interesting and I was eagerly looking forward to it.

BHPian bblost recently shared this with other enthusiasts.

Honda has been conducting the "Drive to Discover" series for more than a decade. I have been on a couple of these multi-day drives.

But this year, there was a shocker, when the invite said:

This year, the drive will explore the beautiful landscapes of Sikkim while letting you enjoy the unparalleled performance, comfort, and drivability of Honda cars.

I read this line multiple times to let it sink in.

Honda has the Amaze, City, and Elevate in its product portfolio. While the Elevate at least looks like it can climb mountains, the City, especially the older version, was notorious for its issues with speed breakers.

Just a few weeks back, Sikkim had experienced a terrible catastrophe. Heavy rains had overwhelmed a dam and it failed. The resultant floods had washed away many roads and bridges.

The cars would have to ply on broken roads. The already difficult terrain was going to be a challenge for both, the cars and the drivers.

In January 2023, I had ridden my motorcycle to Nathu La. Driving on these mountain roads was going to be very interesting and I was eagerly looking forward to it.

It was a relaxed flight from Hyderabad to Bagdogra. We were quickly rushed to a hotel in Siliguri and allotted the cars.

The Honda City HEV was launched in 2022:

This was my first time driving a hybrid. It was a different experience. I liked the relaxed nature of the car and was never able to figure out if the car was using the petrol engine or the battery pack.

The transitions between the two were barely perceptible.

A large part of the route was adjacent to the Teesta River. The floods in October had destroyed a lot of the road infrastructure. Most of the roads have been repaired, but there are a lot of bottlenecks that restrict the amount of traffic that can pass over them. The roads in West Bengal were significantly worse than those in Sikkim.

We spent a lot of time simply staring at the vehicles in front of us. Sometimes, more than fifteen minutes would elapse before we would start moving again:

The Teesta river looks extremely calm. But it hides an extremely strong undercurrent beneath its relaxed facade. There are a lot of river rafting facilities set up around its shoreline:

The Adiyogi blesses all the travellers coming to his adobe in the clouds.

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The WR-V Field Explorer Concept is likely to use the same 1.5-litre petrol engine as the standard version.

Honda is gearing up to showcase a rugged-looking Elevate SUV at the upcoming Tokyo Auto Salon in January 2024.

Dubbed the WR-V Field Explorer Concept, the SUV features a more rugged look compared to the Elevate sold in the Indian market. It has a blacked-out front grille with integrated marker lights and smoked headlamp clusters.

The concept SUV also gets black plastic cladding around the wheel arches, bumpers and door sills, black ORVMs and B-pillars and a black roof rack. The SUV rides on all-black alloy wheels shod with off-road-oriented tyres.

The WR-V Field Explorer Concept is likely to use the same 1.5-litre petrol engine as the standard version. It produces 119 BHP and 145 Nm and is paired with a CVT.

The Honda Elevate was launched in September at a starting price of Rs 11 lakh (ex-showroom).

Honda claims to have sold over 20,000 units of the Elevate SUV within 100 days of its official launch.

According to the company, the Elevate accounted for over 50% of its total sales during the last 3 months. The September-November period saw sales grow by 11% compared to the previous year.

Honda sold 11,891 cars in November 2023. These included 8,730 domestic sales, while 3,161 units were exported. That's a 24% increase in domestic sales and 335% growth in exports compared to the previous year.

The Honda Elevate was launched in September at a starting price of Rs 11 lakh (ex-showroom). The mid-size SUV is offered with a 1.5-litre, 4-cylinder petrol engine producing 119 BHP @ 6,600 rpm and 145 Nm @ 4,300 rpm. It is mated with either a 6-speed manual or a 7-speed CVT. 

The Honda Elevate competes with the Hyundai Creta, Kia Seltos, Volkswagen Taigun, Skoda Kushaq and Maruti Grand Vitara, among others.

Ground clearance and driving position, the bonnet edge is fully visible. I lack depth of perception in my left eye, thus this is a boon.

BHPian smilenow recently shared this with other enthusiasts.

Took delivery of the car today.
Model - CVT/ZX - Golden Brown Today.
Dealer - Courtesy Honda, Wazirpur
Colour - Golden Brown
On-road price - 18.75 Lakhs
Waiting period - Nill, Booked it last week.
I didn't have an issue with a MY23 car.

Deciding Factors-
1) Driving view/position.
2) Tried tested engine, transmission combo pack
3) Steering feel, was sick of the no steering feedback of Hyundai Venue (upgraded from that car)
4) Seat quality and material used on the seats.

Prima Facie happy with
1) The car is easy to handle and maneuverable
2) Audio quality is decent enough for an everyday average joe non audiophile
3) Ground clearance and driving position, the bonnet edge is fully visible. I lack the depth of perception in my left eye, thus this is a boon.
4) Smooth gearbox. As smooth as my 2023 Tucson which is double the price of this car.
5) The quality of the lane switch left side camera is excellent.
6) The infotainment screen is quite fast.
7) Ride Quality is good, quality of paddle shifters is great.

Didn't like -
1) Cost cutting, visible in several places, especially the doors.
2) All of the car's settings (ADAS etc) can be accessed only via the driver's speedometer/digital display via a very limited time menu. They should have been accessible to the screen. The parking sensors were off when the car was delivered to me. I had to tinker around the settings for quite a bit to find out what was wrong or whether the sensors were defective or not.
3) Lack of front camera. The bonnet is quite high, a 360-degree camera is needed for this car.

A photo from the showroom. Will post an update around the 5000KMs mark.

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The JDM-spec Honda Elevate will be manufactured in India and will go on sale in Japan in April 2024.

Honda has launched the next-generation WR-V in the Japanese market. It is a rebadged version of the Elevate sold in India.

The next-gen WR-V looks identical to the Elevate. It carries forward the same upright grille flanked by LED headlamps and L-shaped wraparound LED taillights connected by an LED light bar.

It is the same story with the interior. While the overall dashboard layout is the same, it gets a new touchscreen infotainment system with physical buttons, unlike the Elevate, which comes with a 10-inch head unit. The SUV does get different seat upholstery but the leather inserts on the dashboard have been given a miss.

Interestingly, the WR-V doesn’t get a sunroof and wireless charger either. Honda Sensing is part of the standard package though. The ADAS suite includes features like collision mitigation brakes, adaptive cruise control, lane-keeping support system, auto high beam and lane watch camera; among others.

The next-gen Honda WR-V is powered by the same 1.5-litre petrol engine offered in the Elevate. This engine produces 119 BHP and 145 Nm and is paired with a CVT.

The JDM-spec Honda Elevate will be manufactured in India at the company’s Tapukara plant in Rajasthan. It will go on sale in Japan in April 2024.

Honda is aiming to achieve a 35% growth in sales in the second half of this fiscal.

By 2030, Honda plans to introduce five new models in the Indian market. The carmaker has stated that it would focus on SUVs and EVs going forward.

Having launched its first mid-size SUV, the Elevate, Honda is planning to roll out a full-electric version of the SUV within the next three years.

Toshihiro Mibe, President, CEO and Representative Director, Honda Motor Co, said that India is a big market for the company, where electrification is rapidly progressing for cars and 2-wheelers. He added that the company is open to forging alliances to develop emerging technologies.

Honda is aiming to achieve a 35% growth in sales in the second half of this fiscal, courtesy of the recently launched Elevate SUV. The carmaker also sells the City and Amaze, however, hatchbacks like the Brio and Jazz have been discontinued.

Takuya Tsumura, President of Honda Cars India, said that the company would make fresh investments to introduce the five new models in India. It will also be working on achieving its electrification targets, with the aim to achieve carbon neutrality by 2040.

Source: ET Auto

Honda has left out features like ventilated seats and a panoramic sunroof.

Honda announced its entry into the mid-size SUV segment with the launch of the Elevate in September 2023. While it is priced competitively, it misses out on some features that are offered by its rivals.

Honda has left out features like ventilated seats and a panoramic sunroof. However, customers can get the former installed as an accessory for a cost of Rs 6,000.

Honda’s official list of accessories for the Elevate includes ventilated seat covers. Unlike proper “ventilated seats”, this is a cover that can strapped onto the regular seat. It is powered via the 12V socket and even offers a massage function.

Now, it’s unclear as to how the ventilated seat covers perform compared to the factory-fitted ones. However, given the competition, we can expect future iterations of the Elevate to get features that are missing in the existing package.

The Honda Elevate is available in four variants: SV, V, VX and ZX. The SUV is powered by a 1.5-litre 4-cylinder petrol engine producing 119 BHP @ 6,600 rpm and 145 Nm @ 4,300 rpm. It is mated with either a 6-speed manual or a 7-speed CVT.

Source: Yash9w

Higher-spec variants account for more than 60% of the total bookings. 65% of the total bookings are for the CVT version.

Earlier this month, Honda launched the Elevate midsize SUV in India, but dealers have been accepting bookings since July this year. Now, according to Kunal Bhel, VP of Marketing & Sales, Honda Car India, has revealed that the waiting period for the SUV has reached the 6-month mark.

The Honda Elevate is available in four variants: SV, V, VX and ZX, with prices starting at Rs 11 lakh (ex-showroom). It is said that the higher-spec variants account for more than 60% of the total bookings. 65% of the total bookings are for the CVT version.

The VX and ZX variants have the highest waiting period of around 6 months, but customers who have booked the SV or V variant can expect delivery in around 2-3 months.

The Elevate competes with the likes of the Hyundai Creta, Kia Seltos and Maruti Grand Vitara. The SUV is available with a 1.5-litre 4-cylinder petrol engine producing 119 BHP @ 6,600 rpm and 145 Nm @ 4,300 rpm. It is mated with either a 6-speed manual or a 7-speed CVT.

Source: Autocar India

I do think the car feels good, but I am slightly inclined towards the Seltos HTX IVT.

BHPian A_Abhiraam recently shared this with other enthusiasts.

I had the opportunity to test drive the Honda Elevate yesterday at Magnum Honda, Bangalore (near Mekhri Circle). My parents had put down a booking for VX CVT in Ernakulam when the pre-bookings opened (Sadly one of the major dealers in Ernakulam is not offering Test Drives at the moment and has asked us to wait until the 15th of Sep)

So here I was at Honda asking for a test drive, The SA, Murthy, was very helpful and he immediately consented even though I told him my parents already had a booking in Kerala and I was just here to see the car.

So do I like the car?

Well, sort of, I'll give you a few of my musings:

1. I felt the low-set front passenger seat, was a letdown, I felt it to be slightly awkward coming from the Ford Ecosport as I travel mostly in the front passenger seat and only occasionally drive it.
2. The rear seat was very comfortable for me and my parents who checked it out in Kerala (we are a family of short people)
3. The interior trims, except the Leather seat and the Steering wheel, felt like it was very cheap. The AC Vents, Window switches, surrounds, and the handbrake. The interior of the Seltos feels much better put together and gives a premium feel.
4. The car is very smooth to drive and was very refined too, in my brief test drive I didn't get the chance to drive above 50 km/h, and felt sufficiently powerful. The view from the driver seat is very good too, you get a good all-round view and the steering wheel feels premium.
5. The doors feel weighted and feels heavier/safer than the Seltos and the proportions make it feel like a big car it felt this particularly from the rear as compared to the Seltos
6. The lane watch camera is a very useful feature, especially with the super enthusiastic motorists (2&3 Wheelers) trying to squeeze through the smallest of gaps.

Overall, I do think the car feels good and the price is reasonable too, but I am slightly inclined towards the Seltos HTX IVT (my parents totally despise that car). I am also thinking about test-driving the current-gen Creta1.5 NA CVT to get a feel of how it is so that if the Elevate booking does not go through we can consider the next-gen Creta that is expected to launch next year (I hope there won't be a lot of mechanical changes that make the new car too different to drive)

P.S: Attaching the only picture that I clicked before yesterday's TD.

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