At the launch of the City facelift and India debut on the ZR-V, Takashi Nakajima, president and CEO of Honda Cars India, confirmed that the company plans to launch 6 models in India in FY2026-2027 with a particular focus on hybrids. While two of these include the already introduced City facelift and ZR-V, Honda has a mix of mix of global and India-focused products lined up over the course of this year.
- More models from Honda’s global lineup will come to India
- Honda is also evaluating bringing some CKD models to India
- Honda to also introduce its first all-electric model this fiscal year
“Fiscal year 2026-27 will be a milestone year for us with six strategic launches to enhance our competitive edge and reinforce our brand positioning in the market,” said Nakajima. He added “The City and the ZR-V are just the beginning. We will continue this momentum in coming months with a series of new launches, including our first BEV SUV based on the 0 Alpha concept and also new nameplates from our global lineup with advanced hybrid powertrains.”
Honda’s upcoming model lineup for India explained
As mentioned, the new City and the ZR-V already make up two of the six upcoming launches, while the 0 Alpha-based SUV is the third model in the pipeline, and is expected to be introduced towards the end of this fiscal year. In fact, Honda has already begun pan-India testing of its upcoming electric SUV which will be made here in India, and will be exported to markets abroad, as well. Honda is also expected to give the Elevate a mid-lifecycle update this year, given that it’s already been three years since it launched in the market and the competition has also moved ahead a lot in recent times.
Beyond these four products, Honda is actively looking at bringing some of its global icons here in India. Sources have indicated that models like the Civic, Accord and CR-V are being looked at, and will likely be brought is as full imports in limited numbers. All these nameplates have a high recall value here, and also get hybrid powertrains in markets abroad. Even the Prelude hybrid sportscar is under consideration to be positioned as a halo model and brand builder.
Beyond the six launches in this fiscal year, Honda has also confirmed a new compact and a new midsize SUV for the Indian market which will be introduced in 2028.
Honda is also evaluating bringing back CKD models
When asked whether Honda could bring back CKD products to India, Nakajima said “Yeah. We are now, of course, constantly considering that.”
The new ZR-V marks Honda’s return to the premium import space after the discontinuation of the Accord Hybrid and CR-V in 2020. The company intends to use the ZR-V as a “test-bed” to evaluate customer response in the premium space. “If it [ZR-V] works out, then we can also start expanding the production of those greater models,” Nakajima said.
Honda currently operates manufacturing facilities in Greater Noida and Tapukara in Rajasthan. While production has been consolidated at the Tapukara plant amid weak domestic volumes, the Greater Noida facility still has the capability to support CKD assembly operations. The Civic, Accord and CR-V could be prime candidates for CKD assembly at the Greater Noida plant.
When asked whether expansion of premium local assembly could require restarting operations at Greater Noida, Nakajima declined to share details.
With inputs from Ketan Thakkar and Hormazd Sorabjee
