Honda seems to have made up its mind to not launch the Jazz-based SUV Vezel in India at least before 2015, instead it’s working on a new compact SUV. The Vezel was unveiled at the 2013 Tokyo Motor Show SUV and was appreciated by everyone, but the company has dropped its decision to bring this product to India due to declining Indian currency and high cost of Vezel. The company says that the Vezel will cost more than its rivals including Renault Duster, Ford EcoSport and Terrano. So, launching it at this price won’t be a right idea as of now.
Honda’s managing officer, Asia and Oceania, Yoshiyuki Matsumoto said, “My impression is that the Vezel is a little expensive to fit into this vacuum. It has technologically advanced features and the localization of these features would take much more effort and expense, making it difficult for us at this moment.”
Now, Honda is planning to expand their Brio platform based line-up to develop an all new compact SUV (codename- 2XP) for India. Honda Brio’s platform will help the company price the SUV more competitively. The similar platform also underpins Brio hatchback, Amaze compact sedan and Mobilio MPV. This versatile platform can accommodate a longer wheelbase. A Honda’s engineer confessed, “We’ll need to extensively modify the platform’s wheel well to accommodate the larger wheels required on an SUV and this isn’t an easy task”.
The new compact SUV will also share its engine options with the Amaze. So expect this to feature both the 1.2-litre i-VTEC petrol and 1.5-litre i-DTEC diesel mill. The Brio-based compact SUV is likely to be launched by 2016. A senior Honda official said, “The compact SUV segment in India is growing rapidly and now that we have a suitable diesel engine, we would want to participate in it”. For now, the company’s focus is to launch a fleet of new diesel cars including new Honda City, Mobilio MPV and new generation Honda Jazz. 2014 Honda City is first of the three to enter the Indian market on January 7th, while Mobilio MPV and next-gen Jazz will be here by April 2014, followed by their unveiling at the 2014 Indian Auto Expo in February.
Source: Autocar India
