New Honda CR-V India launch on October 9, 2018

Honda will introduce the new CR-V SUV in the Indian market on October 9, 2018. The company confirmed the India launch of this SUV back in February this year, when it showcased the model to the Indian audience for the first time, at Auto Expo 2018.

Exactly a month ago, we broke the news about Honda readying CR-V's India launch in October this year. Now we can confirm that the prices for the new Honda CR-V will be announced at its launch on October 9, 2018.

The latest generation CR-V is larger than the outgoing model and will be offered in two engine options for the Indian market. The CR-V will be offered for the first time with a diesel engine in India. The diesel mill in question is a 1.6-litre unit from Honda’s Earth Dreams engine family. However, to keep costs down, Honda has opted to bring the single-turbo rather than the twin-turbo version of the engine to India. It is understood that a twin-turbo arrangement would have bumped-up the CR-V’s price by up to Rs 1.5 lakh. In the single-turbo guise, the 1.6-litre diesel motor produces 120hp and 300Nm of torque – which are not shining figures for an SUV of this class. The engine will come mated to a 9-speed automatic transmission with paddleshifters as standard – and will also be offered with the option of all-wheel drive. Honda has decided to give manual gearboxes a miss for the India-bound CR-V, citing low demand for the same.

The other engine-gearbox option on offer will be a 2.0-litre petrol engine mated to a continuously variable transmission (CVT). The 2.0-litre engine puts out 154hp and 189Nm of torque – near-identical figures to the Hyundai Tucson’s 2.0-litre engine, which produces 155hp and 192Nm of torque. The petrol CR-V won’t come with four-wheel drive or paddleshifters.

The new CR-V will also, for the first time, come with a third row of seats, which means it will attract buyers looking for a seven-seat SUV.

For India, the CR-V is likely to come with a powered driver’s seat, dual-zone climate control and a 7.0-inch touchscreen with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto.

Honda will assemble the CR-V in India. Expect prices to be in the region of Rs 28 lakh (estimated, ex-showroom).