Honda Motor Co’s President, CEO & Representative Director, Toshihiro Mibe, has unveiled an ambitious strategy for the Indian market, signalling a major shift in the company’s global priorities. With a dedicated project team focusing on electrification and collaboration opportunities, Honda plans a significant product offensive. In an interview with FE’s Vikram Chaudhary, Mibe confirms plans to launch 10 new models, including seven SUVs, by 2030, and introduce the Zero Series Alpha EV to India by 2027, which will also be exported to Japan and other Asian markets. Excerpts:
Why this renewed focus on India?
India is going to be a priority market, and that’s where we want to spend more effort. We have established a dedicated project team to develop our strategy for the Indian market. Electrification (EV) is a key element of this strategy, but we are also exploring all potential approaches.
The team is currently defining high-level directions, and we will launch the Zero Series Alpha EV in India by 2027. This is part of our very aggressive model launch plan, which includes bringing 10 or more models by 2030. We are considering a wide range of products, aiming for both high-volume and premium segments. Specifically, we plan for seven SUVs by 2030, which has become the mainstream segment in India.
The Zero Series Alpha SUV will be built at the Honda Cars India production site alongside the City, Amaze, and Elevate. We will make maximum use of the Elevate’s parts and components while incorporating the concept of the Zero Series to create a completely new SUV.
How does your EV strategy differ between developed and emerging markets? Is India central to the Zero Series vision for affordable EVs in global markets?
We are launching three types of Zero Series. The Zero Alpha, for example, is a bit too small for the North American market, so we don’t plan to launch it in the US. However, we do plan to launch it in India, while maybe not introducing the two larger Zero Series models. This allows us to selectively utilise the three Zero Series options depending on the region and market approach. In Japan, we plan to launch all three by the end of fiscal year 2027 or so.
Crucially, our plan is to export Zero Alpha from India to Japan and other Asian markets as well.
What’s your battery strategy for EVs?
Even though we are using CATL technology, the cells produced in Indonesia will be brought over to India. Therefore, you could say those batteries are sourced from Indonesia.
Will you continue with hybrids?
Yes, we already have the City Hybrid version. Alongside the Zero Alpha EV, we will also be expanding the hybrid product range for the Indian market. We want to be able to deliver attractive products across all categories – gasoline, hybrid, and battery EVs – to our customers in India.
Among the seven SUVs planned, there will be some global models and some SUVs that we have developed specifically targeting the Indian market, all of which will be produced in India.
Your market share in India is less than 5%. What targets have you set with these new 10 cars?
Please wait for specific targets and values until we are ready with the products. Our current market share is low, perhaps due to our past efforts to streamline the number of models.
The Indian automotive market is expanding, and we can now identify which segments are growing. We will focus on those segments and launch products for them. We recognise that the sub-4 metre SUV segment is a main area of growth, and we are prepared to enter this segment.
What kind of investments are you planning?
I will soon be proposing investment in India to my colleague Takashi Nakajima, President & CEO of Honda Cars India, but I cannot tell you the number right now. Our primary objective will be to focus a lot on increasing localisation and R&D. We will work with local Indian suppliers to drive down costs.
Other carmakers are focusing on flex fuel and ethanol etc. What are your plans?
We have been selling flex fuel vehicles in the Brazilian market for years, so we do have the technology. As ethanol fuels become more prevalent in India, we will take a call on introducing those options.
