Honda Elevate Becomes First India-Made Honda Car To Go On Sale In Japan; Gets The WR-V Moniker

Honda today officially launched the Elevate compact SUV in Japan. It is the first Made-In-India Honda car to go on sale in the company’s home market Japan, where it will be sold as the Honda WR-V. Now, the previous WR-V was discontinued in India back in early 2023, however, globally the moniker is still very much in use. The company’s plan to export India-made Elevate to Japan was revealed last year. While exports began in December, the car was officially launched in Japan today on March 22, 2024. 

Also Read: Made In India Honda Elevate Debuts As New-Generation WR-V In Japan

Speaking on this occasion, Takuya Tsumura, President and CEO, Honda Cars India Ltd. said, “Launch of the 'Made-in-India' Elevate as WR-V in Japan is a proud moment for all of us. This reaffirms our manufacturing potential and growing importance of Honda Cars India in Honda’s global business strategies. The All-New Honda Elevate has been very well appreciated in the Indian market becoming our key pillar of business. We are confident that we will be able to replicate this success and satisfy our global customers with best quality and craftsmanship.”

Also Read: car&bike Awards 2024: Honda Elevate Wins Compact SUV Of The Year

The Japan-spec Honda WR-V comes with an all-black cabin as opposed to the tan and black interior of the Elevate. The seat upholstery is different as well, while the leather inserts on the dashboard have been given a miss on the Japanese model. The SUV also gets a new touchscreen infotainment system that has physical buttons on the right side of the unit. In contrast, the Indian Elevate gets a more premium 10-inch touchscreen infotainment system with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto connectivity.

Also Read: carandbike Awards 2024: Viewers' Choice Car of the Year – Honda Elevate

The Japanese model also misses out on features like the electric sunroof and wireless charging, which the India spec model gets. However, other features like Honda Sensing with all advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS) will be on offer. Under the hood, the SUV will continue to come with the existing 1.5-litre naturally-aspirated petrol engine which is tuned for 119 bhp and 145 Nm of peak torque. It will come with a CVT automatic gearbox as standard with no manual option.

The Honda Elevate was launched in India last year, in September 2023, and in the last 6 months, the company has sold over 30,000 units of the SUV in India. In fact, the SUV has gained quite a bit of popularity and has also bagged the Compact SUV of the Year and Viewers’ Choice Car of the Year awards at the 2024 car&bike Awards.