At the launch of the City facelift and India debut of the ZR-V, Takashi Nakajima, president and CEO of Honda Cars India, confirmed that the company plans to launch six models in India in the ongoing financial year (FY2027) with a particular focus on hybrids. While Honda has already introduced two of these – the City facelift and ZR-V – it has a mix of global and India-focused products lined up over the course of the year.
- More models from Honda’s global lineup will come to India
- Honda is also evaluating bringing some CKD models here
- Honda’s first all-electric model in India is also expected this fiscal year
“Fiscal year 2027 will be a milestone year for us with six strategic launches to enhance our competitive edge and reinforce our brand positioning in the market,” said Nakajima. “The City and the ZR-V are just the beginning. We will continue this momentum in the coming months with a series of new launches, including our first BEV SUV based on the 0 Alpha concept and also new nameplates from our global line-up with advanced hybrid powertrains.”
Honda’s upcoming model line-up for India explained
As mentioned, the new City and the ZR-V already make up two of the six launches slated for FY2027, while the 0 Alpha-based electric SUV is the third model in the pipeline and is expected to be introduced towards the end of the year. In fact, Honda has already begun pan-India testing of this upcoming EV, which will be made locally and exported to markets abroad as well. Honda is also expected to give the Elevate a mid-lifecycle update this year, given that it has already been three years since its launch and the competition has moved ahead significantly in recent times.
Beyond these four products, Honda is actively looking at bringing some of its global icons to India. Sources have indicated that models such as the Civic, Accord and CR-V are being looked at and will likely be brought in as full imports in limited numbers. All these nameplates have a high recall value here and also get hybrid powertrains in markets abroad. Even the Prelude hybrid sports car is under consideration to be positioned as a halo model and brand builder.
In addition to the six launches in this fiscal year, Honda has confirmed a new compact SUV and a new midsize SUV for the Indian market, which will be introduced in 2028.
Honda is also evaluating bringing back CKD models
When asked whether Honda could bring back completely knocked-down (CKD) products to India, Nakajima replied, “Yeah. We are now, of course, constantly considering that.”
The new ZR-V marks Honda’s return to the premium import space after the discontinuation of the Accord Hybrid and CR-V in 2020. The company intends to use the ZR-V as a “test bed” to evaluate customer response in the premium space. “If it [ZR-V] works out, then we can also start expanding the production of those greater models,” Nakajima said.
Honda currently operates manufacturing facilities in Greater Noida and Tapukara in Rajasthan. While production has been consolidated at the Tapukara plant amid weak domestic volumes, the Greater Noida facility still has the capability to support CKD assembly operations. The Civic, Accord and CR-V could be prime candidates for CKD assembly at the Greater Noida plant.
When asked whether the expansion of premium local assembly could require restarting operations at Greater Noida, Nakajima declined to share details.
With inputs from Ketan Thakkar and Hormazd Sorabjee
Uday Singh
Dhruv Dhaka
Glenn Noronha
