PETALING JAYA: It's no secret that Honda Malaysia is planning to introduce its smallest SUV yet later this year as it seeks to go downmarket to capture greater market share.
Its weapon of choice is the WR-V, a subcompact SUV about the size of the Perodua Ativa.
To get the ball rolling ahead of the WR-V launch in Q3, Honda Malaysia organised a Thailand outing late last month where members of the Malaysian media had the chance to drive the vehicle from Bangkok to Pattaya and Rayong over two days.
We will release our first drive report of the WR-V on June 15 when it goes to print and online at the same time.
The WR-V packs a 1.5-litre naturally aspirated engine putting out 119hp/145Nm. It's the same powerplant found in the current City and City hatch.
Thai customers get two variants to choose from: the SV at 799,000 baht (RM107,000) and RS at 869,000 baht (RM116,000).
Over in Malaysia under a CKD programme, the WR-V is expected to woo potential buyers with a sub-RM90,000 price. For now, Honda Malaysia is keeping mum until launch day the pricing and full specs, which are pivotal to how well the WR-V will fare when it hits showrooms.
It's meant to fill the gap left by the three-row/7 seat BR-V, which has been dropped from the local line-up.
Honda Malaysia targets 80,000 unit sales in 2023. The WR-V will go some ways to meet that target, along with two all-new models and a facelifted model.
