Honda Should've Learned From The BR-V's Fiasco

Our family was looking for a sub-4m SUV of late as we wanted to upgrade from our first-gen Ford Figo. And since the Honda WRV is what one sees nowadays on the Internet auto space, I showed it to my brother that we can consider this as well. I guess it is Honda's debutant sub-4m SUV. Besides the WR-V, other options in the sub-4m SUV segment are the Maruti Suzuki Vitara Brezza, Ford EcoSport, and two offerings from Mahindra, the NuvoSport (What? Perhaps Mahindra wanted to cash in on the popularity of the Eco'Sport') and the TUV300. The Mahindra offerings were ruled out mainly because of their non-essential body-on-frame construction, extra weight, not-so-good road manners (this is a vital aspect of us and that's why we chose the Figo in the first place back then in its segment) and less frugal engines. When I got to know that Ford will soon introduce the facelifted EcoSport in the country from one of my colleagues, I got excited. But it turned out to be a long wait as Ford will probably launch it by year end. Now after exploring more about the WRV, I realized that it is the same recipe that Honda used while cooking the BR-V. And I don't think it worked out well for Honda as it is facing a hard time rolling the BR-V out of the showrooms. Though only time will tell how the Indian market will accept the WR-V, I'm afraid it might have the same fortune as the BR-V. Ground-up designs such as the Ford EcoSport and the Vitara Brezza in this segment are really important. Buyers are getting smarter these days, they don't want to spend their hard earned money on some beefed-up hatch. To put things into perspective, none of the cross-hatchbacks in the country are selling anywhere close to the EcoSport or the Brezza. I'm not saying it is a bad vehicle, the WR-V features some class leading goodies such as the six-speed manual with its diesel, sunroof, and others. But individuality in design is really important for us. Guess we've to wait for the updated EcoSport!