KUALA LUMPUR: Honda Malaysia Sdn Bhd today launched the all-new Winsome Runabout Vehicle (WR-V) for the Malaysian market in four variants, with price ranging between RM89,900 and RM107,900, marking its entry into the small sports utility vehicle (SUV) segment.
Honda Malaysia managing director and chief executive officer Hironobu Yoshimura said the carmaker witnessed a rise in demand for SUV models in Malaysia.
"We believe this small SUV has a huge potential in the market and will strengthen Honda Malaysia’s strong presence in the non-national SUV segment.
"We are confident that the all-new WR-V will appeal to young professionals and families who seek a small SUV with a good value offering," he said at the launching event here, today.
According to Yoshimura, prior to its launch, Honda Malaysia received over 2,500 bookings in just one month.
Based on the rising demand for SUVs in the market, the company hast targeted to achieve monthly sales of 1,300 units, with expectation to deliver the car within two to three months, he said.
Yoshimura pointed out that Malaysia remained an important market for Honda in the region and the company is positive of the outlook for the second half (2H) of 2023 despite the ongoing global chip shortage issue.
"Until now, we still have the chip shortage issue, but in 2H this year, we hope we can get a certain volume, and we are already planning to increase our production in the future," he said in a media conference.
Meanwhile, Honda Malaysia executive coordinator Yujiro Sugino highlighted that the carmaker is on track to achieve its 80,000 sales target for 2023, the same number as last year.
"Although the volume in 1H 2023 was slightly lower due to chip shortage supply, we foresee that by 2H, we will be able to recover the supply and be on track for our target," he added.
The new WR-V will be powered by a 1.5 litre DOHC i-VTEC engine which pushes out a maximum power output of 121PS and 145Nm of torque, integrated with Continuous Variable Transmission with G-design shift technology.
All variants, S, E, V and RS (road sailing) will be incorporated with a multitude of advanced safety features such as Honda LaneWatch and Honda Sensing in addition to Honda Connect which is only available in RS variant.
The WR-V is available in five colour options, including a brand-new colour -- stellar diamond pearl, among other colours, namely platinum white pearl, ignite red metallic, meteoroid gray metallic, and crystal black pearl. - Bernama
