In a bid to widen the appeal of the Jazz, Honda Cars India Limited launched the Honda WR-V crossover in 2017. While it shared its platform, underpinnings, and a large percentage of the body work with the Jazz, the more aggressive styling helped it stand out. The car has since its launch managed to find more than 50,000 buyers. That is an impressive feat for a vehicle in this segment.
Honda mentioned in a press statement that the WR-V has been responsible for 28 per cent of the company’s sales in the Financial Year 2017-18. It further continues that the top-spec model (VX trim) has been a favourite, accounting for 80 per cent of WR-V’s sales. The diesel variant has been more popular (diesel: petrol ratio is 58:42), it adds.
Honda Cars India’s President and CEO, Yoichiro Ueno said, “This is a very proud moment for us. Honda WR-V has witnessed great success in the Indian market and the 50,000 sales milestone validates its strong presence. It has emerged as a strong volume model in Honda’s model line-up striking the right chord among young urban customers who are looking for status, comfort, and have an active lifestyle.”
Loaded with features (like sunroof), the WR-V’s presence in the Tier-I cities is the maximum. Tier-2 and Tier-3 cities constitute near-identical sales, while 38 per cent sales are recorded from Tier-1 cities.
It’s a Jazz underneath and the engine choices are shared with the premium hatchback too. There’s the 1.5-litre diesel (with a 6-speed gearbox) and a 1.2-litre petrol. There’s no AWD but with plastic cladding and a redesigned front end, the WR-V manages to look different from the car it’s based on.
