Why hasn't the 7-seat Honda CR-V come to Vietnam yet?

The 7-seat Honda CR-V is about to be sold first in Thailand, so if you're wondering whether this version will come to Vietnam or not, this could be the reason.

After the appearance of a heavily camouflaged test drive image, Honda has officially acknowledged the appearance of the new generation CR-V 2017 in Thailand. Notably, the posted video intentionally revealed the appearance of the 7-seat version of the CR-V with 3 standard rows of seats. Thus, Thailand could be the first market to sell the 7-seat CR-V before coming to other countries in the region.

Unfortunately, up to this point, whether the Japanese car company will sell the 7-seat CR-V in Vietnam or not is still quite unclear. However, the reasons below may be the motivation for Honda Vietnam to sell this version in the S-shaped strip of land.

High demand for 7-seat SUVs

With the characteristics of the Vietnamese population and culture, the need for a car with many seats is always high, especially when cars are not yet a popular means of transport. For example, an average family has 4 people, but when traveling far away, going back to the countryside, there are often grandparents, siblings or friends accompanying. Therefore, if the cost and conditions allow, Vietnamese people always tend to buy a larger car with the motto of having more than not enough. Not to mention, if not used up, the 3rd row of seats is an ideal space to store luggage, goods...

Not only having the advantage in consumer trends, 7-seat SUVs in Vietnam also have the advantage in price. Most popular 7-seat SUVs on the market have prices ranging around 1 billion VND, not much different from 5-seat multi-purpose vehicles. This is the mid-range price for a car that is not too expensive nor too cheap.

Unlike the price range of around 500 million VND, customers in this segment often have more money, willing to spend an additional 100 - 200 million VND if necessary. Currently, the sales of the 7-seat SUV segment in Vietnam are also very high, up to several thousand units/month, with the "king" Toyota Fortuner alone "regularly" selling over 1,000 units per month.

Honda does not have a 7-seat multi-purpose vehicle yet.

Currently, Honda's product line is still very poor, the 7-seat segment only has the MPV Odyssey but the price is too high, approaching the luxury car segment. Meanwhile, even in the 5-seat multi-purpose vehicle segment where the CR-V once "made waves", it was also surpassed by its rival Mazda CX-5. Although it is still a multi-purpose vehicle that sells well in the market, it is clear that Honda's position in this segment is no longer what it used to be.

Therefore, the appearance of the 7-seat CR-V at this time is completely reasonable. Firstly, it solves the gap that Honda has left open for many years because it has not had a suitable product. Secondly, the 7-seat CR-V can become the top choice of loyal Honda customers who are using the 5-seat version and want to upgrade to a more spacious version. Thirdly, clearly with the advantage built from the 5-seat version, the 7-seat CR-V is completely capable of "winning the hearts" of customers faster than any new competitor, helping the Japanese car company save significantly on marketing costs.

Of course, if the 7-seat CR-V is not sold in Vietnam, Honda will most likely replace it with its younger brother, the BR-V, which is currently sold in Indonesia and Thailand. But, as mentioned above, selling the 7-seat CR-V will have many advantages over a rookie that has not yet had an impact like the BR-V.

According to TNO