The SUV by Honda, CR-V, first came into the international market in 1995. In India, the fourth generation of CR-V was released in February 2013 in two engine variants. It included a 2.0-litre petrol and a 2.4-litre, 185 bhp petrol powertrain that was mated with a six-speed manual gearbox. According to reports, the company is now all set to launch its new edition of CR-V with 1.6-litre diesel engine. It has been working quite a lot on its marketing, promotions and advertising all over the nation. Coming with the tag line of 'An impossible, made possible' in its advertising campaign, the USP of its engine is the powerful mileage deliverance of 22.23 kmpl and CO2 emissions of 19 grams per km.
Martin Moll, Head of European Marketing, Honda Motor Europe says, “We are very proud of our latest campaign. With the CR-V we have always set out to combine the best elements of a car and an SUV. For the CR-V 1.6 i-DTEC, we have achieved a perfect balance between the efficiency of a car and the functionality and security of an SUV whilst offering great driving performance. This advertising campaign is a celebration of the innovation of the Honda brand which can make the unexpected happen through the ingenuity of its engineering.”
Honda CR-V is so named because of the chromium-vanadium alloy tool steels usage in the manufacturing of the four wheeler. It will now be offered in both, 4WD or the four wheel drive, and 2WD or the two wheel drive versions. It comes with exterior features like 17-inch alloy wheels, premium sporty chrome grille, body coloured auto retractable with side turn indicators, variable front wiper and intermittent rear wiper and body coloured door handles. It comes with entertainment feature of 6.1-inch touchscreen Audio Video Navigation System with CD/VCD/DVD player & AM/FM, WMA/MP3, iPod, USB and Bluetooth connectivity in 4WD drive. However, front-wheel drive would include a simple integrated audio audio system. It will also be featured with Vehicle Stability Assist (VSA), Anti-lock Braking System (ABS) with Electronic Brake-force Distribution (EBD) and Hill Start Assist so as to prevent the vehicle from rolling down on inclined surfaces. Taking into account the features being offered and also, the advertising campaigns, the company is betting high on the all-new CR-V and it could definitely affect the sales of Renault Duster and Ford EcoSport.
Till sometime back, a majority of buyers in the Indian market were quite confined in terms of their vehicle choices. Sports Utility Vehicle (SUV) were considered as a luxury, meant only for the rich, who bought it for symbolising their class and power. Options available in the domestic market were restricted to brands like Mahindra & Mahindra and Tata Motors. However, times have changed and there is a new craze for SUVs in the urban industry.
The credit for kicking off the trend of utility vehicles definitely goes to Renault Duster. This compact SUV enjoyed the position of being the one and only in the showrooms for quite a long time and therefore, earned a lot of profit. It became the best selling product for the French manufacturer in India. Indian auto-majors as well as foreign brands saw the potential of bringing in their own variant in the market and soon enough, the automobile field was flooded with SUVs. The major conquerors of the market, however, have been Renault Duster, Ford EcoSport and the recently launched, Nissan Terrano. The launch of Ford EcoSport hit Renault Duster's sales figures too hard, but it sustained, mainly because of the reputation it had built for itself with customers.
