Japanese auto giant Honda Cars India Ltd. (HCIL), on Thursday (May 5) has jumped into the entry segment of the compact SUV with the launch of Honda BR-V.
The BR-V (Bold Runabout Vehicle) is available in both diesel and petrol variants in India.
The petrol variant is equipped with Honda’s 16-Valve, 4-Cylinder 1.5L i-VTEC engine with newly developed 6-speed manual transmission and first-in-class Continuously Variable Transmission (CVT).
The diesel variant is equipped with the 1.5L i-DTEC diesel engine from Earth Dreams Technology series in 6 speed manual transmission.
“India is a key market for Honda and as part of our business expansion; we are focusing on increasing our customer base with new model introductions. The launch of BR-V marks Honda’s entry into the popular compact SUV segment. Customers can experience the outstanding appearance of an SUV and benefit from the versatility and comfort of its spacious 3 row interiors. We are confident that BR-V will strongly appeal to the customers and accelerate our growth while strengthening our brand presence in the country,” said Yoichiro Ueno, president and CEO of Honda Cars India Limited.
The BR-V 1.5L i-VTEC Petrol engine delivers maximum power of 119PS@6,600 rpm, maximum torque of 145 Nm @4,600 rpm and economy of 15.4 km/litre in MT version and 16 km/litre in CVT version respectively.
The Petrol variant starts at Rs 8.75 lakh (ex-showroom, Delhi) and goes upto Rs 11.99 lakh for the higher end model.
The Diesel 1.5L i-DTEC engine on the BR-V delivers maximum power of 100PS@3600rpm and maximum torque of 200Nm@1750 rpm and fuel economy of 21.9km/l.
Price of diesel BR-V starts at Rs 9.90 lakh and touches Rs 12.90 lakh in Delhi.
The BR-V is available in 4 grades offered in petrol and diesel variants – E, S, V and VX with manual transmission. Additionally, the BR-V will be available in CVT in V petrol variant.
The vehicle has been developed at Honda R&D Asia Pacific located in Bangkok, Thailand.
The BR-V is available in 6 exterior colors and comes with a 3-years unlimited kilometer warranty with another 2 years of optional extended warranty.
The compact SUV at entry segment in India is going to heat up with this launch as Hyundai Creta and Renault Duster are strong contender in this genre.
BW Reporters
Haider Ali Khan is an alumnus of IIMC. He holds a degree in English Journalism from the prestigious campus. His passion includes Aviation, Technology, Politics and Sports.