REPORT: Honda India pulls the plug on BR-V

In an interesting but unsurprising twist of events, Honda has called time on production of the BR-V in India due to the implementing of the tighter BS6 emissions regulations and poorer than expected sales.

According to indianautosblog.com, the BR-V, which went on sale in 2015 as a replacement for the Mobilio, has struggled to achieve traction in its home market with sales last year totalling a mere 2 857 units, a drop of 60% compared to the 7 140 examples moved in 2018.

This, along with Honda’s decision not to revise the 1.5-litre petrol or 1.5-litre turbodiesel engines in order to comply with the mentioned regulations that come into being today (1 April), has all but sealed the fate of the seven-seat MPV which is not expected to be replaced anytime soon.

RELATD: Honda BR-V ups its seven-seat game

The BR-V’s discontinuing has also raised a question mark over its future in South Africa where it has been classified as a core model, and after it benefitted from a long overdue mid-life facelift in February. If set to continue locally, chances are that it might be sourced from the Ayutthaya Plant in Thailand that makes the Amaze, Jazz and HR-V to name but a few, but at present, this remains purely speculative.

Rumours about the BR-V’s removal has however not been new with cardekho.com reporting in May last year that the rival for the Suzuki Ertiga and Toyota Avanza could be replaced by the HR-V in order to provide Honda with a challenger for the Renault Duster, Hyundai Creta and the then still-born Kia Seltos.

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