Interview: CR-V has an entirely different set of customers than a Fortuner, says Makoto Hyoda, Director, Sales & Marketing, Honda Cars India

Even though, technically, the new Honda CR-V—which will be launched this week—is in the same segment as Toyota Fortuner, the company says it has an entirely different set of customers. “It is for people who want a more premium, urban, and more luxurious SUV,” says Makoto Hyoda, director of Sales & Marketing at Honda Cars India. In an interview with FE’s Vikram Chaudhary, he adds that, in this segment, diesel still enjoys a distinct advantage over petrol. Excerpts:

When Honda had launched the CR-V more than a decade ago, it faced little competition. But today there is a Toyota Fortuner, a Ford Endeavour…

Even though, technically, the CR-V might be in the same segment as, say, a Fortuner, we believe it has a different set of customers—it is for people who want a more premium, urban, luxury SUV.

So, who is your target customer? Is it the prospective buyers of, say, German luxury cars?
The target customer is the one who has travelled extensively, globally, and who knows what the CR-V stands for, in the global market. While the CR-V certainly offers almost all the features that are usually associated with German luxury brands, it will be priced lower. In fact, we don’t see a reason why the kind of customer you mentioned won’t see value, or luxury, or premiumness, in the CR-V.

A few years ago the diesel fuel enjoyed a distinct advantage over petrol. But with prices almost at a par, what is the point of launching an SUV in diesel?
One, we will also launch the CR-V in petrol. Two, in this segment, diesel still enjoys a distinct advantage over petrol—big SUVs need more torque, more pulling power, which the diesel engine offers, and remember than the diesel in the CR-V is a turbo engine, which means both better fuel-efficiency and more power. This is not to say that the petrol is not competent—both engines have their own advantages. Also, we are offering the CR-V only as an automatic transmission, because customers in this segment prefer an auto—it has more number of gears than manual and that leads to better, smoother drivability.

There are 17,600 existing Honda CR-V owners in India. How many of those, do you expect, can be repeat buyers?
The current owners, the loyalists, are one of our top priority. In fact, a large number of them are waiting for the new CR-V, and especially in diesel.