The local unit of the Japanese carmaker Honda Cars India (HCIL) will discontinue production and sale of its premium hatchback Jazz and Wr-V in the Indian market, according to two sources cited by ETAuto, an online automotive industry news source in India.

According to ETAuto’s source, the company will stop producing Jazz in November and the crossover WR-V in April 2023.

The carmaker will also cease production and sale of the fourth-generation Honda City in India by December. However, the sedan’s fifth generation will remain available in the market. 

The discontinuation leaves Honda Cars with just three models on offer in India: Honda City, Honda Amaze, and Hybrid City. The WR-V and Jazz have been among Honda’s best selling cars in India; discontinuing them will create a vacuum for a larger share of the Indian car market, according to ETAuto.

WR-V was the first model developed by Honda R&D Centre of Brazil in collaboration with Honda R&D Center of Japan and accounted for almost 28% of the total sales of HCIL in the market.

However, ETAuto cites sources that Honda is preparing to launch a new compact SUV soon after discontinuing the WR-V. The carmaker will start the production of a new compact SUV in August 2023 with an expected production volume of some 40,000 units in the first year.