New Delhi: Honda Cars India plans to introduce five sports utility vehicles in the country by 2030 as it looks to have a strong presence in the robustly growing segment, according to a top company executive. The company, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Japanese auto major Honda Motor Company, on Monday made a foray into the mid-sized SUV segment with an all-new product Elevate priced between Rs 10.99-15.99 lakh (ex-showroom Delhi).
The model will compete with the likes of Hyundai Creta, Maruti Suzuki Grand Vitara, Kia Seltos, and Toyota's Urban Cruiser Hyryder, among others."Our focus is now on the SUV segment. Starting from Elevate we are going to introduce five SUVs by 2030," Honda Cars India President & CEO Takuya Tsumura told PTI in an interaction. It is very important for the company to be in the SUV segment which has become the leading vertical in terms of volumes, he added.
The contribution of the SUV segment in the overall passenger vehicle sales in the country has risen to over 48 percent this year from 43 percent in FY23. Honda sells City and Amaze sedans in the country. With Elevate it expects to bring in a new set of customers to its fold. "We have been missing in the SUV segment, so the introduction of Elevate is a big day for us," Tsumura said. The mid-sized SUV holds the potential to become a key pillar of Honda's business in India, offering remarkable value to the evolving customers, he added.
The company plans to bring a battery-electric version of the model within the next three years, Tsumura noted. Elaborating further, Honda Cars India VP (Marketing and Sales), Kunal Behl said the mid-sized SUV segment (over 4 meters in length) has witnessed a jump of 34 percent in sales this year as compared with last year with average monthly sales now hovering around the 70,500-unit mark. He noted that the company has received great response for Elevate after commencing bookings in July and the focus now is on the timely deliveries in the festive season.