Honda’s new global SUV Elevate makes its world debut in India

Honda Cars India Ltd. (HCIL), leading manufacturer of premium cars in India today unveiled Honda’s latest global SUV - Honda ELEVATE at a World Premiere event in India

• Exterior design – masculine & confident
• Interior design – progressive and protective
• Body & platform
• Dynamic concept
• Powertrain
• Safety
• Utilities for comfort and convenience

Honda Cars India Ltd. (HCIL), leading manufacturer of premium cars in India today unveiled Honda’s latest global SUV – Honda ELEVATE at a World Premiere event in India. Scheduled for launch during festive season this year, India will be the first country to manufacture and sell the All New Elevate globally. While the initial introduction of Elevate is focused on domestic market, India also aims to serve as an important export hub for the new model to other parts of the world, catering to the robust demand for SUVs globally.

Developed on the grand concept of ‘Urban Freestyler’, Elevate aims to appeal to customers with active lifestyles & a global mindset, and blends cutting-edge aesthetics with functionality to create a visually stunning, incredibly versatile, comfortable, and fun-to-drive SUV that’s ready for adventure inside and outside the city limits.

The Elevate is a mid-size SUV that features a Bold and Masculine exterior design with striking front face, sharp character lines and unique rear design which come together to create a vehicle with strong road presence. The front fascia showcases Honda’s signature grille, flanked by sleek LED headlights, while the side profile emphasizes its sporty character, and the rear boasts a distinctive tailgate design and LED taillights.

All New Elevate has been developed by Honda R&D Asia Pacific center located in Thailand to match the needs and aspirations of younger customers who are looking for status, comfort and have an active lifestyle. The R&D team in India has specifically worked on understanding potential target customers through extensive market surveys which reflect their three main motivations for purchasing SUVs including Stylish Bold Exterior design, Strong Safety package with active and passive safety and Overall Comfort when travelling Long Distances with Interior Roominess & Space.

Speaking on the global unveil, Mr. Toshio Kuwahara, Head of Regional Unit (Asia & Oceania), Honda Motor Co., Ltd. and President and CEO, Asian Honda Motor Co., Ltd. said, “India being the world’s third largest automotive market is extremely important for Honda. As the first country to launch a global model, today’s World Premiere of the all-new Elevate is a stamp of commitment of Honda’s plans and aspirations for the country. The exports from India to several regions across the globe are growing continuously every year. With high level of quality standards to deliver products that exceed expectations of both local and worldwide customers, India has become one of the most important export hubs for Honda. Moving forward to 2050, Honda strives to realize carbon neutrality and zero traffic collision fatalities involving our motorcycles and automobiles. To achieve this target, Honda aims to increase the sales ratio of Battery Electric Vehicles and Fuel Cell Electric Vehicles sales to 100% globally by 2040, including India. For safety, we continue enhancing advanced technologies including the expansion of Honda SENSING around the world and strengthening our safety education to reduce traffic accidents.”

Mr. Takuya Tsumura, President & CEO, Honda Cars India Ltd. said, “With the unveiling of the All New Elevate, we embark on a new journey with Honda’s strong product offering in the booming SUV segment in India. Honda enjoys strong leadership and popularity in sedan segments. There has been very high anticipation amongst Honda loyalists and overall market, who have been eagerly waiting for the new model. We are confident that the Elevate will further strengthen the bond with our esteemed customers and soon become our strong third pillar of business besides the City and Amaze. We have a robust product strategy to strengthen our premium play in the market and Elevate is first model among the 5 new SUVs that will be launched by Honda in India by 2030.” “Aligning with our global vision towards carbon neutrality by focusing on electrified powertrains, we will launch Honda’s first Battery Electric Vehicle (BEV) based on this SUV within next 3 years in India,” he added.

Exterior design – masculine & confident

The Elevate’s unique front design reflects a majestic stance through its Bold profile combined with slim and sharp headlights showing a masculine and confident expression. The High Gravity Horizontal Belt Line provides Protected & Secured cabin feel. The side of the model has a clean layout, making it standout and reflects the characteristics of new age SUVs. Together with the dual LED taillights and Two-tone finish diamond cut R17 Alloy Wheels provide a distinct, modern and sporty characteristic to the model.

Exterior Dimensions*

Interior design – progressive and protective

The concept of interior design is “Progressive and Protective” which express aspiring mindset, comfort, functionality, and safer cabin. The Interior color, material and finish coordination is a beautiful contrast of luxurious brown and black to give a clutter-free and a comfortable feel despite the strong character of the SUV.

• Top class wheelbase, clubbed with spacious head room, knee room and legroom resulting in overwhelmingly spacious interior cabin.
• The Elevate will offer top class cargo space at 458L.
• Stylish meter with premium feel welcome graphic animation. The All New Elevate uses a 17.78 cm (7-inch) high-definition full color TFT multi-information that displays the meter with premium white light and on a black background showing information such as fuel consumption, trip meter, outside temperature, G-Meter and a clock on a large display screen. It also allows the driver to customize the operations, such as the meter set up, keyless access, lighting set up, door, and Honda SENSING.
• The Elevate comes fitted with a new floating type 26.03 cm (10.25 inch) In-Plane Switching (IPS) High-Definition (HD) resolution LCD touch-screen display audio with Optical Clear Adhesive (OCA) that offers high contrast and visibility. It can be connected with various types of smart phones via wireless Apple CarPlay, Android Auto, Weblink, Bluetooth and USB. Making it a comprehensive experience, additional sub-screen functions are also provided for easy access such as ASVM (Assistant Side View Monitor), ARVM (Assistant Rear View Monitor), Clock, Calendar, Compass, Customizable Picture, and shortcuts to commonly used Infotainment settings
• With the 220mm height ground clearance, high nose and hood shape and smooth connection between the hood and B-line, the driver can feel the long hood length providing clearer and better front visibility to be able to see the road surface and objects on the road at ease.

Body & platform

The Elevate utilise higher tensile steel application ratio to realise a “smooth and connected” structure which is lightweight, offers enhanced collision safety performance, best body balance, better stability, and the best handling.

• Strong torsional and lateral rigidity of rear structure for confident driving dynamics at high speeds.
• New and highly efficient body structure stiffens the C pillars and rear tailgate open area to increase and improve rear rigidity as well as to increase the smoother operation.
• Suspension set-up with reduced Friction for superior handling stability as well as ride comfort

Dynamic concept

Aligned with the global direction “Enjoy the Drive”, the all-new Elevate is developed to achieve comfort-balanced target performance adapted to the road environment, characteristics of the region. It has been tested and evaluated on a wide array on terrains to ensure an offering that delivers perfectly on the customers’ expectations. The “Enjoy the Drive” is provided by the core values: ‘Reliable Comfort,’ and ‘Drive as Intended’ contributing to a more active maneuverability and agile operability for a “Fun to Drive” experience everywhere.

With class leading^ ground clearance of 220mm* and a minimum turning radius of 5.2m*, the ELEVATE can be driven safely and comfortably on a variety of Indian roads.

Powertrain

At the heart of the Elevate is the superior 1.5L i-VTEC DOHC petrol engine with VTC which will deliver high fuel efficiency, low emission and spirited driving performance. This advanced engine churns out 89 kW (121PS)* of power and 145 Nm* of maximum torque between 4300* to 6600* RPM. It has been mated to an advanced 6 speed Manual Transmission and 7-speed CVT (Continuously Variable Transmission) which ensures smooth gear changes and responsive driving experience, while also contributing to high fuel economy. The powertrains have been optimized to deliver a driving experience that is both enjoyable and eco-friendly.

Safety

The All New Elevate incorporates Honda’s Global standard of Safety offering host of active and passive advanced safety features like 6 Airbags system, ABS with EBD and Brake Assist, Vehicle Stability Assist with Agile Handling Assist, Hill Start Assist, Honda Lane Watch™ camera, Light Crash Performance, Pedestrian protection, Multi angle Rear Camera, Emergency Stop Signal, ISOFIX compatible Rear Side Seats with Lower Anchorages & Top Tether, and Immobilizer with anti-theft alarm. It will come with Honda’s acclaimed Advanced Compatibility Engineering™ (ACE™) body structure which enhances self-protection while mitigating damage to other vehicles in the event of a collision. The Elevate features innovative Advanced Driver Assistance System safety technology – Honda SENSING. This advanced and intelligent Safety Technology of “Honda Sensing” utilizes a high-performance front camera with a wide-angle, far-reaching detection system to scan the road ahead and alert the driver to minimize the risk of accidents and, in some cases, intervene to avoid or lessen the severity of a collision. Collision Mitigation Braking System (CMBS), Adaptive Cruise Control, Road Departure Mitigation (RDM), Lane Keeping Assist System (LKAS), Lead Car Departure Notification system and Auto High-Beam are the signature features of Honda SENSING.

Utilities for comfort and convenience

To suit the outgoing lifestyles of the driver and the passengers, the SUV comes with added utilities providing more comfort and convenience.

*All figures mentioned are under Homologation testing and subject to variation
^Segment is defined by mid-size SUVs with length between 4300 mm & 4400 mm; and engine size up to 1.5 Litres; and seating capacity of 5 persons.

SOURCE: Honda

Keyword: Honda’s new global SUV Elevate makes its world debut in India