Honda exports nearly 7,000 Elevate SUVs to Japan

Since the Honda Elevate launched in India in September 2023, the Japanese brand has despatched 30,365 units to its dealers. In the August 2023 to February 2024 period, the Elevate midsize SUV was the carmaker’s second-bestselling model, accounting for 38 percent of Honda Cars India’s total passenger vehicle despatches of 79,513 units; this number includes the Amaze (33,339 units) and the City (15,809 units) sedans.

1. 6,809 Elevate SUVs exported to Japan as the WR-V
2. Honda Japan targets monthly sales of 3,000 WR-Vs
3. Exports in FY2024 expected to cross 22,710 units in FY2023

The Elevate has given Honda a utility vehicle market share of 1.32 percent in the April 2023-February 2024 period compared to 0.27 percent a year ago (April 2022-February 2023: 4,941 UVs). What is creditable is that the Honda Elevate competes in a hotly contested segment with India’s bestselling midsize SUV, the Hyundai Creta, along with other midsize SUVs like the Maruti Grand Vitara, Toyota Urban Cruiser Hyryder, Kia Seltos, MG Astor, Volkswagen Taigun, Skoda Kushaq and the Citroen C3 Aircross.

Honda Elevate exported to Japan as WR-V

The Elevate has also boosted Honda Cars India’s export programme. The company has begun exporting the made-in-India – at the brand's Tapukara, Rajasthan plant – SUV to Japan, where it has been badged as the ‘WR-V’ or Winsome Runabout Vehicle.

The Elevate for Japan (WR-V), which is powered by the same 1.5-litre four-cylinder petrol engine, looks identical to the Indian model, but it gets an all-black interior compared to the dual-tone black-and-beige cabin in the Indian model. The made-for-Japan model also gets a different infotainment screen, presumably for country-specific content.

As per export data published by SIAM, Honda Cars India has exported a total of 6,809 Elevates to Japan till end-February 2024. Overseas shipments have picked up pace in the past two months with 6,472 units being exported in January-February 2024.

Honda Motor Co plans to begin sales of the WR-V in Japan from March 22, 2024 and has targeted monthly sales of 3,000 units, which translates into 36,000 units annually. If this monthly target is achieved in Japan, then Honda Cars India could be looking at a sizeable jump in its exports in FY2024 and beyond. The company, which shipped 22,710 units overseas in FY2023, has in the first 11 months of FY2024 exported 30,729 cars and SUVs.

Honda’s export strategy aims to make India as an important export hub for the new model to other parts of the world, catering to the robust demand for SUVs globally.