Team-BHP - Honda's new SUV for India

Quote:

Originally Posted by shibulijack (Post 5514839)

Personally, I'd love to see Honda bring in a panoramic sunroof and take the competition heads on. It is about time they throw everything but the kitchen sink because whether we accept it or not, "features" sell cars.

It is true that at this juncture it will be too risky not to have a panoramic sunroof to take the korean twin and Grand Vitara head on. Some features are cosmetic, some are for creature comfort, some are aesthetic and some are functional. Ideally all are welcome under a single package. Unfortunately it comes at a cost. To keep the cost down in a price sensitive market like India we need variants. True, It will be difficult to judge from an opinion poll in enthusiasts forum of over all demand for panoramic sunroof. Not having one certainly keeps the costs down somewhat. Even if 20-30% buyers of top model are happy without sunroof, where is the harm in giving this extra option? He might not be ready to compromise with other features which are functional, safety and comfort oriented.

I really have doubts if it will crack the market. Experts may croon about its engine, drivability and Honda brand. But going by past records they will remain diffident and never aggressive. So Average interiors, underpowered vehicle, high prices and so on, plain DOA. Wonder the Car guys who do such a good job with City ever share their learnings with the SUV guys!! Sad story. This is one brand which should have really done well here.

This is from the same company which launched ahead of time Civic with futuristic interiors, 1.8L jewel of an engine and chassis, hydraulic steering. Now their commitment towards India is a big question. When the market has moved ahead, they still continue with 1.5 NA. Whether Honda will be relegated to case study similar to Kodak or Ford needs to be seen. It is high time they plonk their 4 cylinder Turbo, else it might be game over.

Quote:

Originally Posted by VRSriram (Post 5515299)

That ahead of time move didn't exactly work for them unfortunately. Mostly hasn't worked in India for others too. But i hear you - Indian buyers have matured a lot since the original Civic was launched and manufacturers understand that global models need a bit of reconfiguration for India (read GC atleast). If Honda keeps getting cold feet based on history, it won't get much out of the Indian market.

Quote:

Originally Posted by SedateGuy (Post 5513969)

I hope all the car manufacturers are watching the thread on sun roofs, where the poll shows 70% don't care for a sunroof or don't want one.

When we were planning for the 2nd car, sunroof was the major requirement from my better half. After getting the car I let my kid to head out in traffic free roads in crawling speed to experience it for couple of times, even though I’m against that. Coming back to the point, for the humid climate in Chennai it’s of no use in day time and it’s used only as Moonroof :) On top of that if it’s not maintained well then with the age there will be problem like squeaking sound while operating or even leakages. My service advisor friend from Honda who worked for more than a decade always suggested to avoid going for Sunroof variant.

Quote:

Originally Posted by SedateGuy (Post 5513969)

I hope all the car manufacturers are watching the thread on sun roofs, where the poll shows 70% don't care for a sunroof or don't want one.

If these forum members are buying a car for themselves then sure.

If it's a family car or they have kids or their better half involved sunroof is always discussed and most poeple outside this forum don't care or don't wanna talk about how unsafe/pointless sunroof are/can be.

PS: Irrespective of all the downside for people sitting in the middle row, panaromic sunroof is absolutely fantastic.

The kids' obsession with sunroof is overrated. Parents push them to get on to the sunroof (unsafe which is a separate topic altogether) and take a couple of pictures to put on their Instagram when the car is new and is promptly forgotten till the next vacation to a hill town or beach.

I can get behind a panromic sunroof as it looks really cool especially under those old school roads with green trees on both sides. But I'm not sure how they perform in terms of weather protection i.e. heat intake in terms of Indian plains sub-tropical weather and if the car's AC unit must do extra leg work cooling the car.

Hope they launch this with multiple engine options. They need to bring the Turbo Petrol to India and if possible give an AWD option like Toyota does with RAV4. If they are just going to launch it with the 1.2 NA petrol and 1.5 NA petrol, then it won't garner sales numbers and compete well against the current crop of SUVs, CSUVs and sub 4m SUVs as well.

Honda being Honda, worst case if they do bring in only the current NA petrol engines and hybrids and price these way too high in today's market, there will definitely not be many takers even from Honda fans. If they price it too close to Safari and XUV, then customers will simply won't be interested in this.

Customer has way too many options already in today's market and a high price just for Honda brand will not just cut it in today's market.

Some more details/guess:

Quote:

It will be a C-Segment product.
Price will be in the range of Rs. 12-21 lakh.
The midsize SUV will be a petrol-driven vehicle, which will be available in both manual and automatic transmission options in five variants in the initial phase.
The SUV will have muscular looks and will be slightly larger in dimensions than the Creta. However, its price will be equal to or could be even less than the Creta.
It will be based on its GSP platform and will be leveraging on Honda City’s powertrain and transmission.
It will be sold in a petrol version initially followed by a strong hybrid version subsequently.
Kunal Behl, Vice President-marketing and sales at Honda Cars India, told that it will be positioned in the premium segment.

For the last one, Mr. Behl wanted to say that pricing will be premium. :)

Source

Quote:

Originally Posted by NH08 (Post 5516046)

Some more details/guess:

It will be based on its GSP platform and will be leveraging on Honda City’s powertrain and transmission.

Source

GSP Platform means the Amaze/Brio platform. :Frustrati Please surprise us Honda and don't do another Mobilio/BR-V.