March 24: Honda Cars India is looking to rejig its product portfolio and bump up the number of sport utility vehicles (SUVs) and crossovers on offer in keeping with a shift in market preferences. The company has already stopped making the Brio-based Mobilio.

Speaking at the Calcutta launch of the latest offering, the WR-V crossover, Honda Cars India president and CEO Yoichiro Ueno said that the company was "assessing the possibility" of bringing in the HR-V as well as the diesel-powered CR-V to India. This move towards SUVs is in keeping with the global consumer trend.

India is the first market for the Jazz based WR-V, which starts at Rs 8.05 lakh for the petrol variant and goes up to Rs 10.36 lakh (ex-showroom, Calcutta). At 3,999mm in length, the car just manages to squeeze into the sub-four-metre category of vehicles. Brazil is the next market where it will be rolled out, but with different specifications.

Honda's top SUV model currently is the CR-V, which comes equipped with two petrol engine options in a market that is skewed towards diesels. CR-V prices start at Rs 23.24 lakh ex-showroom, Calcutta. An ASEAN-spec version with a 1.6-litre i-DTEC diesel engine pushing out close to 160hp is expected to make its international debut soon, and this is the one likely to make it to India. The CR-V is a seven-seater SUV.

Ueno said the HR-V model was part of the company's India plans, adding that the car lies between the WR-V and the CR-V. The model comfortably seats five and is more than four metres long, albeit shorter than a sedan like the City. In the US, a petrol-powered version sells for the equivalent of Rs 13 lakh upwards.

The BR-V continues to rack up sales of about 1,500 cars a month and is typically bought by those who want versatility from their car. Honda has taken a sales hit of around 20 per cent in the 2016-17 fiscal, though. The good news for the company is that its new City, launched last month, has had 16,000 bookings. The WR-V has 4,500 in just a week.