Honda Cars India Ltd. (HCIL), India’s luxury car manufacturer, marked a historic milestone on March 22 by launching its Made-in-India Honda Elevate, which is marketed in Japan under the WR-V brand name.
For the first time in HCIL’s history, a model is being exported from India to Japan, indicating a huge step forward for India’s automotive sector and the country’s expanding manufacturing acumen and global competitiveness.
The company writes that its choice to export the Elevate from India to Japan demonstrates its confidence in providing high-quality goods from its Indian operations to clients worldwide.
India was the first market to receive the Elevate in September of last year. Since then, it has sold more than 30,000 units in the preceding half-year.
According to an organisation’s announcement, the model debuted in Japan as the Honda WR-V on December 23 and has received enthusiastic responses from customers who like its bold SUV design, strong road presence, outstanding size and comfort, sophisticated safety offering, and well-appointed equipment.
The vehicle is offered in Japan as a lower-end offering; however, in India, it is sold as a luxury vehicle. The price range of this vehicle in Japan is just under 2 million yen to below 2.5 million yen (about $14,900 – $18,600 or ₹13,20000 – ₹1,655,000/-). Furthermore, the compact SUV industry, to which this model belongs, has seen a significant rise in demand in recent years and is fiercely competitive, with numerous competing vehicles. In Japan, it is considered an imported vehicle. The moniker “WR-V” combines the initials for “Winsome Runabout Vehicle”.
The Japanese WR-V lineup consists of three models: the entry-level “X,” the intermediate-level “Z,” and the advanced-level “Z+.” All grades have a 1.5-liter gasoline engine as the powerplant and are only available in 2WD (front-wheel drive), providing a rather simple setup.
Honda also sells the “Vezel” compact SUV, which comes in both gasoline and hybrid versions and can be driven with 2WD (Front-Wheel Drive) or 4WD. The Vezel’s pricing range, including tax, is between 2,399,100 and 3,418,800 yen. The WR-V features a more limited lineup than the Vezel but is priced lower.
HCIL has exported vehicles from its lineup to left-hand drive markets in Turkey, Mexico, and the Middle East and right-hand drive markets in Nepal, Bhutan, South Africa, and SADC countries. Honda Elevate exports to Japan are the newest addition to India’s export business.
