Launched in March 2023, the Honda CR-V has consistently led sales figures in Thailand. Not only has it taken the leading spot, but as of now, the Honda CR-V’s sales have far surpassed competitors in the C-segment CUV race in the Land of Smiles.
According to sales data from Thailand’s Autolife website, the Honda CR-V continues its dominance on the charts with 1,820 units sold in the first two months of the year. Notably, that number is 2.5 times more than sales of all the other models in the segment put together.
The sixth-generation Honda CR-V is sold in Thailand in five variants, with prices ranging from 1.419 – 1.729 million baht (equivalent to 957 million – 1.16 billion VND).
The model offers two engine options: a 1.5L VTEC Turbo engine and a 2.0L hybrid system. The 1.5L VTEC Turbo gasoline engine is paired with a CVT automatic transmission and either FWD or Real-Time AWD, and delivers a maximum output of 190 horsepower and 242 Nm of torque.
The e:HEV variant uses a hybrid powertrain consisting of a 2.0L Atkinson four-cylinder engine and a pair of electric motors, giving a combined output of 207 horsepower and 335 Nm of torque. It comes with AWD and an e-CVT electronic continuously variable transmission.
In second place in the segment is the Chinese Haval H6, with 223 units sold. The other three spots in the top 5 are occupied by the GWM Tank 300, Subaru Forester, and MG HS, with sales figures of 153, 124, and 89 units, respectively.
The remaining five spots belong to the Mazda CX-8, Mazda CX-5, Peugeot 3008, Peugeot 5008, and Mitsubishi Outlander.
It is worth noting that the Mazda CX-5 only managed to sell a mere 34 units in the first two months of the year. This means that the Honda CR-V sold 54 times more than the Mazda CX-5 in the Thai market.
Despite its loss in Thailand, the Mazda CX-5 remains unrivaled in Vietnam. Specifically, the Mazda CX-5 continues to hold the number one spot in the C-segment SUV segment in March 2024, with sales of 912 units, up 52% from the previous month. The Mazda CX-5’s cumulative sales for the first quarter of 2024 reached 2,319 units, down 6% year-over-year.
The Honda CR-V took second place with sales of 649 units in March, a significant 303.1% increase compared to February. Of that number, 467 were gasoline-powered variants and 182 were hybrids. In the first three months of the year, Honda sold 1,080 CR-Vs.
In Vietnam, the Honda CR-V is often praised by experts for its performance, driving experience, and durability. However, one of the biggest obstacles for the CR-V in its competition with the CX-5 is its price.
Honda often positions its pricing higher than other Japanese and Korean products. This makes price a disadvantage for the CR-V compared to the CX-5, resulting in the model consistently placing lower in sales figures.
At the beginning of April, Mazda reduced the price of the CX-5 to between 749 – 979 million VND, adding fuel to the sales competition with the Honda CR-V.
