Honda Confirms New Sub-4 Metre SUV for India, Scheduled to Launch in 2028

This announcement came during Honda’s global financial results presentation, where the company outlined its long-term plans for the Indian market. Honda stated that from 2028, it will introduce “strategic models” tailored specifically for Indian customers in two high-volume categories - sub-4 metre vehicles and the mid-size segment.

The new compact SUV is expected to rival the Maruti Suzuki Brezza, Kia Sonet, Hyundai Venue, Tata Nexon, Mahindra XUV 3XO and Skoda Kylaq - a segment that continues to witness strong demand in the Indian market.

The information shared by Honda highlights that the automaker has identified India as one of its priority global markets, citing long-term growth opportunities and increasing demand from two-wheeler owners upgrading to passenger vehicles. The company admitted that its earlier strategy of offering products developed on global standards did not fully align with Indian customer requirements. India is currently the third largest automotive market in the world behind USA and China, Honda finally seems to have acknowledged the market potential. Now Honda will be looking to make India a global production hub and a key volume player.

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Toshihiro Mibe said Honda will now focus on developing products that better suit Indian market conditions, customer expectations and pricing requirements. The company also indicated that the upcoming products will be developed with stronger local inputs instead of adapting global models for India.

While Honda has not revealed technical details of the upcoming SUV, the model is expected to follow a market-specific approach to compete in one of the country’s highest-selling passenger vehicle segments.

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The sub-4 metre SUV category has become one of the most competitive spaces in the Indian automotive industry, driven by demand for higher ground clearance, SUV styling and urban practicality. Automakers currently offer multiple powertrain choices in the segment, including naturally aspirated petrol, turbo-petrol and CNG options. The last sub-compact SUV from Honda in India, i.e. the WRV was offered in petrol and diesel powertrains, but the next product is expected to get petrol and hybrid options with even the possibility of factory-fitted CNG.