In the late 1990s, when Japanese carmaker Honda entered India with its iconic ‘City’, the car became a cult icon among petrolheads. The subsequent Accord and Civic sedans were hits and were the early iterations of the CR-V. The powerful yet efficient VTEC engine technology, coupled with great handling, made these cars extremely popular with car fans and the wider car-buying public alike.
But sometime in the mid-to-late naughties (the 2000s), Honda seemed to lose its way. The second generation of the Honda City, known as the ‘Dolphin’ due to its soft-rounded design, sacrificed performance at the altar of efficiency. And its look, well, let’s just say that it wasn’t everyone’s cup of tea.
Then there was diesel; Honda just missed that bus completely. And when it did join the bandwagon with the CR-V and Civic, the Supreme Court soon instituted the ‘10-year-rule’ for diesels in the NCR — a region which then, like now, accounts for one of the most important geographical regions for car sales in India. It didn’t stop just there. The Brio, the BR-V, WR-V and the Jazz were all excellent vehicles, but Honda was seen to be old and boring. All these vehicles are long gone from the Indian market, as are the Accord, Civic and CR-V. Rumours spread that Honda would leave the Indian market altogether, just like American carmakers Ford and General Motors.
Thankfully, that scenario never came to pass. The City remains a mainstay of the company with a fan base that includes people like my mother, who is on her third. But including the Elevate SUV, Honda is a bit player in the Indian market, selling between 5000-6000 units domestically every month, although it exports almost as many, including to Japan, where it is sold as the WR-V.
Also read: After losing no.2 carmaker spot, Hyundai is betting big on the new Venue
Honda eyes EV models
All that is about to change. In 2024, Honda announced that, alongside Japan and the United States, India is one of their three key markets. And this past week, I spent time at the Japan Mobility Show (the erstwhile Tokyo Motor Show) at the invitation of Honda because they wanted to highlight their plans for India.
And the centrepiece of that new future is the new Series 0 α, an electric vehicle which will be made at Honda’s Tapukara plant in Rajasthan. Not just for India, but like the Elevate, it will be sold across the world. In addition, when I met Toshihiro Mibe, President of Honda Motor Company, alongside others in the Indian media, Honda announced to launch ten new vehicles in India by 2030, including seven SUVs. These will include just the α but also the Concept 0 SUV and possibly a sub-four-meter SUV, as well as the likely return of the CR-V.
“India is a key market for us”, Mibe said and highlighted that Honda was not content being a bit player anymore. One more interesting aspect that also emerged after meeting Honda’s top management was that they felt that, as India was a rapidly growing economy and as Indians became richer, they would want more features on their vehicles and would be willing to pay more. Which is why the carmaker will bring in some high-end imported models as well, possibly including the next-generation Accord and Prelude sports car.
The pivot to India should also be seen in the context that many global manufacturers face in light of the rapid rise of Chinese carmakers. Although Honda’s new electric vehicles in India will be using cells based on technology from CATL, a Chinese company, the cells themselves will come from Indonesia.
India’s role goes even deeper. Honda is collaborating with Indian IT firm KPIT to develop software for their vehicles, including their pathbreaking AsimoOS, with an estimated 2,000 software engineers.
Can Honda break out of its funk in India? Mibe certainly believes so. The size of the Indian media delegation was one indication, and the other was the Concept α itself. The vehicle, more a prototype than a concept, will be launched in early 2027. It certainly stands out from the crowd with its design and signature light profile. Product specialists indicated that the vehicle will be competitive with rivals offering approximately 500 kilometres of range and the latest software and advanced driver assistance, albeit Mibe mentioned that it would not feature AsimoOS initially, as that software is built around ‘Autopilot’, Honda’s full self-driving feature to compete with the likes of Tesla.
By all indications in Tokyo, Honda is not doing cursory lip service in the Indian market anymore. Will they succeed? That, of course, is impossible to predict, but they are certainly putting their money, billions of dollars (although Mibe refused to give an exact amount), where their mouth is.
Kushan Mitra is an automotive journalist based in New Delhi. He tweets @kushanmitra. Views are personal.