Honda’s Global Platform For Future Made-In-India Models
For all the Honda brand lovers, there is good news to be elated about! Honda is developing a global platform for its small- and medium-cars, with India likely to be the global production base for both domestic and global markets. The new modular platform will create a range of future products, including sedans, SUVs, EVs, and hybrids. The PF2 is likely to support both ICE and EV powertrains as Honda is not yet convinced of developing a dedicated EV platform due to its waning demand for EVs.
With its popular City sedan has seen volumes dip below the 1,000 units per month mark, Honda hopes to get its craze back with the PF2 platform. The recently launched Elevate, which started off strongly with monthly sales of around 4,500 units in the first five months has come down to just above 2,000 units a month. However, Elevate exports have risen, as it is being sold as the WR-V in Japan. In the first half of this calendar year, 10,659 made-in-India WR-Vs were exported to Japan which has made Honda the top auto importer in the country.
Honda is planning to expand India as an export base due to WR-V’s success in Japan.
Honda had the first-mover advantage in India in the hybrid race, but it was a half-hearted attempt with its City model. The City hybrid, was highly priced which didn’t gain much popularity. Honda’s decision to not offer the Elevate with a hybrid was very surprising, despite being innovators of the hybrid tech. With a growing demand for strong-hybrid SUVs, Honda is likely to invest in localisation of its hybrid powertrain to have an edge in the hybrid race. It has also built the PF2 platform to be hybrid ready from the beginning.
Honda is planning a compact SUV on the PF2 platform in early 2029, which could hit the Indian showrooms around the same time. Honda is also planning to launch an EV that sits just under the Elevate in 2029. Honda Cars India plans to introduce five SUVs by 2030, which could be a mix of locally made products and Completely Built Units.
