Honda is all set to unveil one of its most important products for India, the Elevate midsize SUV, on June 6, 2023. The brand has been releasing teasers of the Elevate SUV for a while now, and will officially reveal more details and commence bookings on the day of its global debut. 

1. Honda Elevate to take on the Hyundai Creta
2. To come with a 1.5-litre petrol initially
3. Deliveries likely to commence by August this year

Honda Elevate booking amount

Dealers tell us that existing Honda customers that already have the WR-V and the City are the ones enquiring more about the upcoming Elevate SUV. Some of the dealers have also begun accepting bookings unofficially, with booking amounts varying from Rs 11,000 to Rs 21,000. 

Elevate: Honda’s India-focused SUV

The Elevate SUV will share its underpinnings with the City, but its styling cues will not have much in common with any other Honda SUV that is currently on sale overseas. Sources tell us that the Elevate has been designed with India in mind and it will have a more upright styling – from its flat nose and tall grille to its glasshouse and roofline – something that is preferred by Indian buyers as opposed to the more rounded coupe-like SUV design popular in other markets. 

While Honda may get the Elevate's styling on point, it will have to be on top of the game as far as features are concerned. The latest teaser from the brand confirms the presence of a single-pane sunroof, and while that could have been par for the course a few years ago, its rivals have upped the game with almost every single contender, barring the Seltos, Taigun and the Kushaq, now offering large panoramic sunroofs. The Seltos facelift, which will go on sale in the coming months, will also get a panoramic sunroof.

While not much is known about the Elevate’s features list, dealers tell us that it will mimic most of the equipment seen in the City, which is decently equipped for its own segment, barring the inclusion of ventilated seats. It remains to be seen whether Honda takes care of this missing feature when it launches the Elevate SUV.

Honda Elevate powertrain options

Honda, like many other brands, recently pulled the plug on its diesel line-up, and that means the Elevate, like all other Hondas sold in India, will be petrol only. It will be introduced with a single 1.5-litre, naturally aspirated engine, with a hybrid likely to be added to the line-up later. This petrol engine will be shared with the City sedan where it produces 121hp and 145Nm of torque, and comes mated to either a manual or CVT automatic.

Honda Elevate launch timeline, deliveries

Deliveries for the Honda Elevate are being promised sometime by late August while the price announcement is expected to take place early that month, according to dealer sources.