Honda is one carmaker that has been struggling recently due to an old portfolio and a lack of a powerful SUV in its Indian lineup. Aside from the fifth-generation City and Amaze, Honda’s other models are struggling to gain traction due to rising competition. According to a source, Honda is considering discontinuing its remaining models, which include the Jazz hatchback, WR-V SUV, and fourth-generation City.
According to the source, Honda will discontinue sales of the Jazz in October 2022, and sales of its crossover variant, the WR-V, will finish in March 2023. Meanwhile, the fourth-generation City will not be available for purchase beyond the end of December 2022. Following the implementation of the BS6 emission standards, all three of these vehicles were changed. While the Jazz and WR-V received minor facelifts and a few new features, the fourth-generation City’s selection was reduced to only two petrol-manual types.
However, Honda Cars India authorities refute these market assumptions and refuse to comment on this development. With the elimination of the Jazz, WR-V, and fourth-generation City, Honda’s lineup in India will be reduced to just two sedans, the Amaze and the fifth-generation City.
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Honda Confirmed The News
Honda has already announced that the all-new Jazz, which will be on sale globally in 2020, will not be available in India due to cost constraints. Meanwhile, there is no successor planned for India for the WR-V, which was marketed as a crossover version of the currently on-sale Jazz. The fourth-generation City has already been superseded globally by the fifth-generation City, which is available in India alongside the former as a more luxurious and larger sedan.
Honda has also abandoned its premium offerings, such as the Civic and CR-V, and has closed its manufacturing facilities in Greater Noida in recent years. Honda will now have a void in the tiny hatchback segment, which carmakers rely on for volume, with the departure of the Jazz. All of these moves fueled rumors that Honda, like Ford, would exit the Indian vehicle market gradually.
However, all is not lost at Honda, as the Japanese automaker is said to be working on two new SUVs, both of which are slated to arrive in India. While the first SUV is a sub-four-meter tiny SUV that could replace the WR-V in India, the second is a midsize SUV that will compete with the fifth-generation City.
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