By YUKIO HASHIMOTO/ Staff Writer
November 23, 2024 at 18:49 JST
Honda Motor Co.’s made-in-India WR-V sport utility vehicle (Yukio Hashimoto)
A sport utility vehicle built in India by Honda Motor Co. emerged as one of the best-selling imported automobiles in Japan.
The WR-V went on sale in March, competitively priced at under 3 million yen ($19,000) to attract young Japanese drivers.
Honda sold about 18,000 units between April and September.
The SUV comes in multiple variations, all front-wheel-drive gasoline models. The least expensive offering, priced at under 2.1 million yen, is the most popular.
Honda developed the WR-V in Thailand with plans to export it to Japan, among other destinations.
The vehicle was released in India last year and is also being sold in South Africa and Nepal.
In Japan, vehicles assembled overseas by domestic companies have been making inroads in recent years.
During the six-month period through September, about 155,000 new vehicles were shipped to Japan, according to the Japan Automobile Importers Association.
About 45,000 units were produced overseas by Japanese companies, accounting for nearly 30 percent of the total.
Honda imported about 25,000 vehicles, up sharply from a mere 81 during the same period the previous year and the largest number among domestic companies.
In addition to the WR-V, Honda’s imports included the Accord sedan from Thailand and the Odyssey minivan from China.
The Accord has been imported from Thailand since 2020. While not popular in Japan, sedans are quite the thing in the Southeast Asian country.
Honda discontinued sales of the Odyssey when it closed a domestic factory in 2021.
As the minivan has remained popular in Japan, the company introduced those assembled in China at the end of last year.
In fiscal 2023, Honda manufactured 3.41 million vehicles overseas, nearly five times as many as the 700,000 units assembled in Japan.
Honda was the first Japanese automaker to go all-out in importing a model produced overseas.
The U.S.-made Accord Coupe made its debut in 1988 as trade friction with the United States caused Japan to import more U.S. goods and services.
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