Honda after the recent success of its city e –HEV has announced that it has started developing a 2 new SUV’s for the Indian Market, as per previous reports it was believed that the SUV’s would be based on the Honda city platform while the new SUV’s would be based on the new iteration amaze platform, internally both the cars have been denoted code names PF2 and PF2s, the latter for the large sized SUV. Which would share the centrally located fuel tank as seen in the Honda City. Design and engineering work according to the reports would be split between Japan and India, which would allow Honda to engineer the vehicle relentlessly without a steep increase in prices.
Compact SUV
Expected to launched first would be the compact SUV targeted towards the Maruti Suzuki Brezza as well as the KIA Sonet, According to reports Honda has finalized the design of the Car and is now working towards further engineering. Honda has designated it a codename 3US internally. The car would have to ace every element of its design as well as the performance to function well against the clamoring high competition in the segment.
With Honda still producing mass market Diesel Drivetrains the competitors would have to worry for its 1.5 litre in house diesel engine which might end up in the compact SUV. The 1.2 petrol that powers the Amaze is also likely to be part of the range, and this could get a hybrid boost. And then, like the Maruti Brezza, Honda could also choose to forsake the sub-4m excise sop and offer its more powerful 1.5 petrol
Mid Size SUV
Honda is also developing mid size SUV which is supposed to be brought to the market at a later date, the car under development has been denoted as 3RA – Honda’s midsize SUV. Expected to hit the market sometime in early 2024, it is likely to be 4.3m long, use Honda’s new electronic architecture and screen system, and share its powertrain with the new City, City diesel and City hybrid. Using a diesel here is important, as 50 percent of buyers in the Creta segment still buy diesel.
And if Honda can also offer a localized version of the City Hybrid’s powertrain, it could have another very efficient version. This is another strong possibility; remember that Toyota and Maruti will also be in the market by the end of the year with a strong hybrid. Boot space for this hybrid version, however, could be impacted, as it is in the case of the Honda City Hybrid, and using a hybrid drive system will also push the price up. Honda has been targeting 6 and 7 seater variants for the mid size SUV.
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