Honda Elevate Black Edition launch on January 7

The Honda Elevate Back Edition will launch on January 7, Autocar India can confirm. The SUV was spied recently in production ready form, hinting at an imminent launch. Honda will introduce it in two guises – the Elevate Black Edition and the Elevate Signature Black Edition.

1. Elevate Black Edition price to be around Rs 75,000 higher than standard SUV 
2. Comes with the same 121hp, 1.5-litre petrol engine
3. Elevate Apex Edition sales will continue alongside Black Edition

Honda Elevate Black Edition details revealed

The Honda Elevate Black Edition will get a Crystal Black Pearl exterior paint, gloss black painted alloy wheels, a chrome finish on upper grille and silver finish on roof rails, and a silver finish on lower part of doors. On the inside, it'll feature an all-black interior with leatherette seats. 

The Elevate Signature Black Edition will get similar setup for the exterior, interior and alloy wheels. Additionally, there’s a black-painted upper grille, along with a black finish on the roof rails, front and rear faux skid plates and lower part of doors. This version also has an additional logo on the front fender and seven-colour interior ambient lighting.  

The Elevate Black and the Elevate Signature Black Editions will be based on the top variant, which means it will be fully loaded as far as features are concerned. Key equipment will include a single-pane sunroof, auto headlights and wipers, a semi-analogue instrument cluster with 7.0-inch TFT display, a 10.25-inch touchscreen infotainment system and a camera-based ADAS suite, among others.

There are no mechanical changes expected, so it will continue with the 121hp, 1.5-litre naturally aspirated petrol engine, mated to either a manual or a CVT automatic gearbox.

Honda Elevate Black Edition competition check

Honda joins other carmakers that offer an all-black version of their mid-size SUVs. Hyundai has the Creta Knight Edition, MG Motor has the Astor Blackstorm, and even Maruti Suzuki offers the Grand Vitara Black Edition.

The standard Honda Elevate sees stiff competition from the likes of the Creta, Seltos, Grand Vitara, Hyryder, Kushaq and the Taigun. Hyundai's mid-size SUV is the segment leader, with monthly sales averaging a staggering 15,000 units (approximately).

Dealer sources tell us that the Elevate Black Edition was slated to go on sale in March this year. However, the launch was pulled forward in order to push sales of Honda’s mid-size SUV, which, so far, have been below expectations. Last year, Honda had introduced the Elevate Apex edition, which has been getting decent traction according to dealers. Honda will continue to sell the Apex Edition alongside the newly launched Black Edition.

Prices for the Elevate start at Rs 11.69 lakh and go up to Rs 16.43 lakh. As the Black Edition is based on the top-spec Elevate ZX variant and is expected to be priced around Rs 75,000 higher, the new all-black variants are likely to be priced from about Rs 17.20 lakh onwards.

All prices, ex-showroom, Delhi