Honda has held a special place in the heart of the Indian automotive enthusiast. The love affair with the brand started with the iconic V-Tec City. The car offered a brilliant engine in a very practical package which took off like a storm. The V6 engine powered Accord was the next car from the Japanese company to hit our hearts. Then came the Civic, which with its timeless design language, still manages to attract eyeballs.
Honda was perceived as a premium brand that built cars with top-notch quality, with cars like the Civic, the Accord and the CR-V on offer. That said, with the Civic and CRV discontinued, can Honda still be called a premium brand? With no flagship sedan or SUV to offer, I guess no.
With the Honda plant in Greater Noida shut down, Honda does not have the facilities to produce these cars in their Rajasthan plant. As a result, the City stands on top of the models Honda has to offer. While the City is a good car in its own right, but I do not see it carrying the same level of prestige or want that a Civic or a CRV offer.
Honda too has to take part blame for this downfall of sorts for them. The first problem being the delay in getting their premium cars in the country. However, they could have salvaged some sales with a competitive price of their cars. Alas, they did some mistakes in that department too. The fact that the company itself offered massive discounts to boost sales stands testament to this fact.
The Indian market too, has seen some changes over the years. A majority chunk of buyers now prefer SUVs over a sedan or a hatchback. While there are still buyers for sedans and hatchbacks, with Honda will also need another SUV in its portfolio to make a good number of sales. Perhaps, now would be a nice time to introduce the HRV?
Even if its not a premium brand anymore, I honestly hope that this closure of the Noida plant is not the start of the end for Honda India. It still has that soft spot in all our hearts. It still is synonymous with quality engineering. So the brand does need to pull its socks up now and make a great comeback in the Indian market. Let us see what the future holds for this iconic Japanese carmaker in India.
Author: Videh Vora
