Last year, Honda – which was the first to propagate benefits of hybrid powertrains for passenger vehicles in India with the Civic – introduced its strong-hybrid powertrain in the City sedan. It was launched with an aim to popularise its tried-and-tested technology and help drive mass adoption, at least till the time BEVs become completely practical. However, the hybrid powertrain has faced a mixed response, as it commands a significant premium over the standard petrol version. And yet, Honda caught most by surprise at the global unveil of the Elevate – an all-new Seltos-sized SUV, when it made no mention of a strong hybrid option. And it wasn’t an oversight – the Elevate will, in all likelihood, not get a hybrid powertrain at all.
Honda is unlikely to offer the e:HEV hybrid powertrain in the new Elevate SUV.
While it may look odd, it’s not entirely surprising to see Honda skip the introduction of a hybrid Elevate. The Indian government has, so far, shown little interest in incentivising the use of this technology. The focus – or at least the message portrayed – is that India wants to transition to zero-emission vehicles as soon as possible.
Over the last couple of years, Honda has joined the global race of making battery electric vehicles (BEVs) and is aiming to have a fully electric line-up (comprising BEVs and fuel-cell EVs) by 2040, globally, as well as in India. In the wake of this mandate, Honda Car India appears to have thought it prudent to pursue an all-electric future for the new Elevate rather than investing resources into a technology that is also seen as a stop-gap solution as we progress to a future with zero tailpipe emissions.
Also read: Honda Elevate Compact SUV Unveiled In India Ahead Of October Launch
Carmaker is looking at unveiling an all-electric derivative of its new SUV by 2025.
At launch, the Elevate will be available with a 1.5-litre i-VTEC petrol engine mated to a six-speed manual or a CVT (automatic). This is the same spec as the fifth-generation Honda City sedan. Interestingly, following the launch of the City e:HEV strong hybrid in India, brands such as Toyota and Maruti Suzuki have also brought in strong hybrids of their own – the already-on-sale duo of the Urban Cruiser Hyryder and Grand Vitara, as well as the Innova Hycross and the upcoming Engage (rumoured to be the name of Maruti Suzuki’s derivative of the Hycross). This made sense in the absence of a diesel engine option which both these brands, as well as Honda, stopped with the transition to the BS6 era. While reduced emissions are a given, strong hybrids are inherently more fuel efficient and these carmakers wanted to entice customers who previously opted for diesel simply for its low running costs.
Also read: Honda Elevate: All You Need To Know About Honda's New Compact SUV
The Elevate will launch later this year with a 1.5-litre petrol engine paired with either a 6-speed manual or a CVT.
It’s quite likely that a few more hybrids will come from the Japanese brands and from a few other international brands in the premium segment as they have models in their global portfolio – for eg. Nissan X-Trail hybrid. While Honda hasn’t ruled out launching more hybrids in India (Elevate is first of five new SUVs it has lined up for launch in the next 7 years), company president and CEO Takuya Tsumura confirmed an all-electric Elevate is already in the works and can be unveiled as early as late 2025. With a BEV derivative not too far in the future, Honda is highly unlikely to invest energies into the introduction of a powertrain that will make the Elevate pricier, and perhaps a little less attractive, in what is already a hotly-contested segment. More importantly, an early switch to full EV seems logical as it will allow the India operations to choose from a bouquet of products that its HQ is quickly lining up for global markets.
