The all-new 2024 2024 Honda CR-V for Malaysia only comes as a two-row, five-seater SUV across its four turbocharged and hybrid variants.

To some, this might be a curious development seeing that a three-row CR-V that seats seven exists in other markets; the closest to us being Thailand and Australia, apart from models in other regions.

When asked if the seven-seater 2024 Honda CR-V was considered for the Malaysian market, the answer boils down to demands, and subsequently production volume.

Also read: All-new 2024 Honda CR-V launched in Malaysia - 4 variants, including hybrid, from RM 159,900

"Yes, we have considered but considering the total production [of the CR-V] that we produce here at the Melaka plant, we have decided to concentrate on one variation of seats. So that's the reason why we chose the five-seater," explained Yujiro Sugino, Honda Malaysia Sdn. Bhd.'s Executive Director.

Sugino went on to explain, "In order to localise, we need certain volume. It's more efficient to concentrate on one seat spec to localise based on current volume. Our local factory only produces for our destination, we don't export, so considering our total Malaysian volume, we determine that we should not introduce two seat variations."

What it means is that with our small domestic market, and an average sales target of 1,000 units per month, adding a 7-seat option would drive prices of the 5-seater variants higher.

The CR-V being a five-seater model only in Malaysia is not a new development, seeing that its preceding fifth-generation car was also the same; owing to similar reasons and customers preferring more interior space for cargo flexibility rather than two additional seats.

In any case, perhaps the small showing of three-row, seven-seater SUVs in Malaysia is a testimony: there's the Proton X90 (~RM 124k to RM 153k), Peugeot 5008 (~RM 186k), VW Tiguan Allspace (~RM 174k to RM 256k), and if you are willing to be a bit more liberal with the category, the SUV-esque MPV the Toyota Innova Zenix (~RM 165k to RM 202k) - all selling far lower than the Honda CR-V.

Also read: 2024 Honda CR-V: Exceeding sales target 2x amidst rising market challenges