Indonesians are smitten by the Honda WR-V, and it shows in the sales – it topped the country's A-segment (small) SUV class in 2023 outselling its popular rival, the Toyota Raize, reports our sister site Autofun.co.id.

Across January to December 2023, the Honda ended the year a total sale of 20,790 units, as the Raize came in second with 17,499 cars moved. The top 5 list is as below:

Also read: Honda is Malaysia's No.1 non-national passenger car brand in 2023; 10 years in a row, buoyed by City, City HB, HR-V

It was a segment previously dominated by the Toyota and its Daihatsu Rocky twin that were launched in the archipelago in April 2021. The WR-V came a year and a bit later in November 2022, but not without its challenges.

The main concern mainly stemmed from its overall higher prices compared to its class rivals: the WR-V's price ranges IDR 274.9 million (~RM 82k) to IDR 324.1 million (~RM 97k), while the Raize's IDR 249.9 million (~RM 75k) to IDR 307.7 million (~RM 92k) price tag offered similar specs and safety packages.

Yet things worked out for the plucky Honda as sales gradually increased on a monthly basis, before eventually topping the list. It goes to mention that Honda Indonesia's operations were generally quite smooth, in contrast to Toyota and Daihatsu who found themselves embroiled in a safety scandal that involved the Rocky and Raize, but were eventually cleared.

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