Placing India among its top 3 focus markets, Japanese automaker Honda will launch 6 new cars here this year, including an electric vehicle, as it eyes a major turnaround in the world’s third-largest passenger vehicle (PV) market. Setting its revival plan in motion, Honda Cars India (HCIL) on Friday launched the new City sedan and unveiled its hybrid SUV - ZR-V e: HEV.
“Today’s event marks the beginning of HCIL’s New Phase of accelerated growth in the market. India is among the top 3 focus markets to realise Honda’s future growth which will be driven by a strong pipeline of new products and our efforts to achieve cost competitiveness. This year is a landmark year for us with 6 strategic launches that will sharpen our competitive edge and reinforce our brand position in the market,” said Takashi Nakajima, President & CEO, Honda Cars India.
Talking to The New Indian Express, Nakajima said that they are looking at a double-digit growth in PV volume this year compared to last year. Honda concluded the financial year 2025-26 with cumulative domestic sales of 91,241 units. Its market share stood at about 2% last fiscal, a sharp drop from 5% market share in FY18-19. Honda also expects its export volume to improve this year following a dip in FY25-26.
Nakajima stated that they are not happy with their current situation and are trying to increase their presence in the Indian market. “India is a big market and it is growing year-on-year. We see potential here and have promised more than 10 cars by 2030. This means huge investment and commitment from us,” stated Nakajima.
Following the September 2025 GST cut, PV sales jumped sharply. With demand expected to stay strong, most automakers have announced aggressive investments to scale up production. Alongside Honda, global players such as Renault, Volkswagen Group, Nissan and Stellantis are also fast-tracking efforts to strengthen their foothold in the Indian market.
From 2028, HCIL will begin introducing strategic models tailored to the Indian market, including a sub-4 meter SUV. HCIL’s parent company - Honda Motor Co - had last week announced that it would start introducing models tailored to the Indian market from 2028 and leverage its two-wheeler business to upgrade customers to PVs as part of rebuilding its automobile business and the future direction. Honda has positioned India along with North America and Japan as priority markets for its future growth strategy.
The 2026 Honda City has been launched in India with introductory prices starting from Rs 12 lakh (ex-showroom). While it has received a complete makeover and new features, mechanically it remains unchanged.
The Honda ZR-V is powered by an e: HEV Sports Hybrid system that combines a 2.0-litre direct injection Atkinson-cycle engine and the advanced dual-motor hybrid system with e-CVT offering a combined Max Power of 184 PS @5000 – 6000 rpm, Max Torque of 315 Nm@ 0 – 2000 rpm and a fuel economy of 22.79 km/l.
The ZR-V is being imported from Japan as a Completely Built Unit. Customers can now pre-book the ZR-V at Honda dealerships across India, with deliveries scheduled to begin from July 2026.
