Honda Cars India is expected to further trim down its portfolio of cars in India by the start of the next financial year. As per a report by ET Auto, the carmaker could discontinue the Gen 4 City, Jazz in India by the end of the year and the WR-V by the end of the fiscal year. The report suggests that the Jazz could be axed as early as October this year with the Gen 4 City to follow by year-end. The WR-V meanwhile is expected to remain on sale till the end of the financial year.
carandbike contacted Honda Cars India for a statement with the company spokesperson saying that the report was speculative. In a statement, the company said, “As a policy we do not comment on market speculations.”
The Jazz current Jazz has been on sale in India since 2015 with the carmaker having given the model its most recent facelift in 2020. The latest updates saw Honda switch to offering the hatchback with only a petrol engine while adding some new features and styling tweaks to freshen up the model. The WR-V, the Jazz’s crossover sibling, meanwhile was introduced in 2017 and currently is Honda’s alternative to the current crop of subcompact SUVs. The Gen 4 City meanwhile was replaced by the all-new fifth-gen model in 2020 though the older variant stuck around as a more affordable alternative to the new-gen compact sedan being limited to just two lower-spec variants.
The current Jazz was launched in India in 2015 and received its most recent facelift in 2020
In recent years, Honda has seen its portfolio shrink in India as well as its market share. Notable models discontinued over the last half of the 2010s included the Brio hatchback, Mobilio, MPV, BR-V compact SUV as well as the Accord hybrid, Civic and CR-V. The company also shut down its Noida facility to help cut costs and return to profitability.
However, based on reports, Honda is expected to be line-up a new sub-compact SUV and Creta-rivalling SUV for the Indian market. Reports suggest that the sub-compact SUV could see the light of day in 2023 while the compact SUV could come by 2024. SUV’s have gained popularity in the Indian market in recent years and the introduction of the new models could see some fresh demand injected into Honda’s portfolio. The introduction of a new subcompact SUV could also be deemed to be one of the reasons to pull the plug on the WR-V.
