Honda Elevate to be offered as an EV in the future

Honda Cars has just unveiled the Elevate in India. The compact SUV is expected to launch around the festive period, with bookings to start from next month. The Elevate will be offered as a petrol-only model but Honda has just confirmed that it will introduce a pure-electric version of the SUV in the future. We take a closer look. 

Honda Elevate: EV Instead of Hybrid

Takuya Tsumura, president and CEO of Honda Cars India, stated, “We are concentrating on the BEV, which is based on Elevate.” But why not a strong-hybrid model like the City? This is because it will be quite expensive.

Honda is aiming to bring down the production costs of its strong-hybrid powertrain by localising it. However, it hasn’t been successful in doing so yet. Tsumura also added, “If I look at the GST, it is 5 percent for an EV, 45 percent for regular and 43 percent for a hybrid. So I personally think hybrids should be at least somewhere in the middle of the two,", making EV’s more viable for the automaker.

This means that for the time being the Elevate will be offered only with a single petrol engine option mated to a 6-speed manual or a CVT automatic transmission. With diesel still a strong seller in the segment, it will remain to be seen how the latest entrant will fare.

Honda India: More New SUVs Coming

Speaking at the Elevate’s launch, Tsumura stated, "We have planned a very robust product strategy for India. We plan to have five SUVs by 2030. While India will be a lead market for the Elevate, it will also be a key export hub for the model in the future. Honda Cars India also plans to bring the electric version of Elevate to the market in the next three years."

Honda has already shared its plan to launch one new model in India every year, including hybrids and EVs. The company is also planning to introduce new premium models in India via the CKD and CBU route.

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