Honda Cars India has taken the covers off the Honda Elevate SUV today, June 6, at an official event in Delhi. The event became the platform where the Elevate SUV was showcased to the entire world for the first time. The Elevate SUV, Honda’s first SUV for India since WR-V was discontinued earlier this year, is compact in size and will aim to grab its share in the growing SUV segment. Honda’s earlier SUVs in India, like the CR-V, BR-V or WR-V, had failed to be as popular as most of its rivals. The Japanese carmaker has now pinned hope on the Elevate for a turn in fortune as one of the latest entrants in the battle of SUVs in India.
Here are all the highlights from the Honda Elevate SUV global premier event:
Honda Elevate SUV makes a global debut at an event in New Delhi.
Honda Elevate SUV Unveiled Globally
Honda Cars India has globally unveiled the Elevate SUV which will first touch down in India.
Honda Elevate bookings to open in July
Honda Cars India will open the bookings for its upcoming SUV from July while the launch will take place during the festive season.
Honda Elevate safety highlights
Honda Elevate SUV comes with a suite of safety features such as Lane Keeping Assist, Lane watch, rear seat reminder, rear parking sensor, Honda Sense and emergency stop signal, among many others. The body of the SUV is made of high tensile steel so that least damage is caused during mishaps.
Honda Elevate engine highlights
Honda Elevate gets a 1.5-litre DOHC i-VTEC petrol engine. This engine churns out 121 PS of power and 145.1 Nm torque. The engine is available with a six-speed manual gearbox and there is an advanced CVT on offer.
What is Honda Elevate’s interior like?
The interior comes as a spacious, versatille and premium space with ample legroom for rear passengers. The advanced 10.25-inch touchscreen infotainment system keeps passengers entertained and connected throughout the journey.
An all-electric Honda coming soon too
Honda confirms a fully electric car will land in India in next three years.
Honda underlines styling cues of Elevate
Elevate has been developed as a global model that will touch down first in India. The Elevate model gets a bold and dynamic exterior design, thick body, majestic volume at front and features Honda’s signature grille.
Elevate is India-first global product
Honda says it is committed to a robust portfolio in India with the latest technology like Honda Sense. The company aims for India to be key export hub for Elevate.
Honda Elevate unveil event gets underway
The unveil of Honda Elevate will be the stamp of commitment from the company towards India, said Mr Toshio Kuvahara, Head of Region – Asia an Oceania, Honda Motors Limited. The company aims to introduce five SUVs in India by 2030.
Glimpse of Honda Elevate
Honda Elevate SUV spotted right ahead of its global premiere. The sharp contours of the car’s front profile and large wheel arches can be figured out despite it being covered.
What would be the price of the SUV?
The new Honda Elevate SUV is expected to be priced between ₹10.50 lakh and ₹20 lakh (ex-showroom).
Who are the rivals?
The Honda Elevate will compete with rivals like the Hyundai Creta, Kia Seltos, Maruti Suzuki Grand Vitara, Skoda Kushaq, Volkswagen Taigun and MG Astor.
What’s under the bonnet?
The all-new Honda Elevate is expected to share powertrains with the Honda City. The popular midsize sedan gets a 1.5-litre VTEC DOHC petrol engine that churns out 121 PS of peak power and 145 Nm of maximum torque. Transmission options with the engine are a six-speed manual gearbox and a seven-speed CVT. A strong hybrid system is also there comprising a self-charging, dual-motor e-CVT paired with a 1.5-litre petrol engine. This hybrid powertrain kicks out 126 PS of power and 253nNm of torque. The Elevate SUV is expected to receive the hybrid powertrain at a later stage.
A feature packed SUV for future?
The Honda Elevate SUV is expected to be designed for the future with a host of advanced and new-age features that would be enabled by modern technology. With the consumers’ keenness to have a premium SUV at an affordable price, expect the Honda Elevate to offer a host of premium features like a sunroof, head-up display, 360-degree camera etc.
Borrowing from the newest CR-V?
Honda Elevate is said to be inspired heavily from the sixth-generation CR-V that was introduced in global markets in 2022. The biggest influence could be in terms of exterior styling cues.
The sixth-generation Honda CR-V
Honda Elevate – what we know for sure so far
Elevate will have a solid road presence and will get a chunky front face and a large grille area with slim wraparound LED headlight. Teaser images have already confirmed a conventional-sized sunroof but expect the SUV to be well-kitted with features in the cabin. ADAS or Honda Sensing technology – seen previously in the Honda City – is all but certain. Since Honda has entirely ditched diesel motors, it is obvious that Elevate will only come with petrol engine option(s).
Honda’s wait and watch approach for Elevate
Honda has thus far not had a mid-size SUV in the Indian market even though rivals like Hyundai Creta, Kia Seltos, MG Hector, Tata Harrier, Skoda Kushaq, Volkswagen Taigun, Marurti Suzuki Grand Vitara and Toyota Hyryder have been making some very solid moves. Is entering the segment late be a concern or will learning help the Japanese?
Why is Elevate crucial for Honda in India?
Honda has had a solid product portfolio in times gone by. The Civic, for instance, was a cult model and the CR-V was an SUV of elite prominence. But in recent times, the company has had to shelve many of these models owing to poor demand. The Honda City and Honda Amaze are the two main players for the company now but overall demand for sedans remains lacklustre. The mid-size SUV space, however, continued to remain robust and this is where Honda is now trying its luck.
Honda Elevate SUV: All or nothing?
After Honda Cars pulled the plug on cars like WR-V and Jazz earlier this year due to stricter emission norms, the Japanese auto giant is left with only two models for sale in India. The Amaze and City have been pulling Honda’s sales despite being in an ever-shrinking sedan segment. It has been a surprise for many why Honda has not taken the SUV segment as seriously as some of the other carmakers operating in India, especially the fellow Japanese and Korean counterparts. The Elevate will provide Honda the entry into the compact SUV segment for the first time and may play a key role for the carmaker. A lot will depend on the Elevate’s success for the Japanese auto giant’s future in India.
Elevate SUV will be the first model in its segment from Honda Cars since it discontinued the WR-V. It will also be the only SUV in Honda’s fleet in India at a time when more than half of all vehicle sales is dominated by the SUV body-type.
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