If you were to look purely at the numbers, you would think that the current (outgoing) 10th generation Honda CR-V is a relatively fresh new product, rather than one that will be phased out soon to make way for an all-new 11th generation 2023 Honda CR-V.

The theory of product lifecycles, as thought in business schools will tell you that any commercial product will see a sharp increase in sales in the early stages (introduction and growth), before stabilizing (maturity), and later entering a state of decline as newer competitor products enter the market.

This doesn’t apply to the ‘old’ outgoing generation Honda CR-V though, because the soon-to-be replaced final hurrah CR-V is seeing one of its strongest 6-month sales period in Malaysia. An increase in sales is not supposed to happen to a product that’s going to be phased out.

Checks with Honda dealers show that the entry 2.0-litre naturally aspirated i-VTEC variant is so popular that it’s sold out, and demand for the more expensive 1.5-litre VTEC Turbo are picking up rather than slowing down.

“We are actually seeing an increase in CR-V bookings, even though many customers are aware that an all-new generation model will be launched soon, and they have seen photos of the new model,” said one Honda dealer we visited.

“Instead of clearing stocks, there is shortage of CR-Vs. Some Honda dealers actually don’t have enough CR-Vs to sell, because they didn’t expect demand for the CR-V to remain this high even in its final months and hadn’t place enough orders for it. Our stock of the 2.0L is sold out but we have enough stock of the 1.5L turbo to still satisfy demand in the coming few months,” said another dealer.

Honda Malaysia doesn’t release its monthly sales figures, but we understand that in the first half of 2023, Honda registered (as opposed to just being ‘sold’ to dealers) over 6,700 units of the Honda CR-V. That’s more than the 6,200++ units it registered in the same 6-month period in 2022.

Far from slowing down before it bows out from showrooms, the ageing Honda CR-V’s sales performance in its final year is even stronger than the pre-pandemic 2019 period, when it registered slightly over 6,200 units of the CR-V in H1 2019.

In fact, the CR-V’s final H1 sales performance matches its first H1 performance, back in 2018, the year the 10th generation CR-V’s had its first full-year sales. In other words, not only is there no decline, the ‘old’ CR-V is going out with such a loud bang that it’s matching its first year’s period of intense growth.

The RM 8,000 promotion (excluding dealer-specific discounts) is one explanation for the CR-V’s increase in sales, but the figure is nothing unusual for an end-of-lifecycle product. In fact, throwing RM 8,000 worth of promotions for a phased out model is below the market rate for this segment.

A more likely reason is because customers are happy with the current generation CR-V’s overall package, and they don’t see any major leap in the new model to justify paying for the (rumoured) new model’s higher price.

The new generation 2023 Honda CR-V will certainly have a much higher starting price because the current model’s entry 2.0-litre variant will be discontinued, due to compliance with emission regulations.

The outgoing 10th generation Honda CR-V is currently sold at the following prices:

• 2.0 2WD: RM 146,900 (sold out at most dealers)
• 1.5 TC-P 2WD: RM 165,800
• 1.5 Black Edition: RM 170,400
• 1.5 TC-P 4WD: RM 171,400

With the entry 2.0L naturally aspirated variant no more, the starting for the 1.5-litre VTEC Turbo variant is likely to start from RM 180k, assuming that the Honda Sensing suite of advance driving assistance safety features will be made standard.

If prices in Indonesia is a reliable indicator, Malaysian buyers can expect a circa 10 percent increase in prices over the current model’s equivalent variant.

The all-new 11th generation Honda CR-V will very likely be launched in Malaysia in the final quarter of 2023.

As for the anticipated disruption caused by the RM 199k Tesla Model Y, dealers say that will probably happen sometime in the future but right now, there is no evidence of CR-V buyers migrating to a Tesla, at least not in numbers that are big enough to register on their radar.

That’s not difficult to understand because the CR-V is a rather conservative product. It attracts practical-minded buyers who want something that they are familiar with, something with proven dependability. They are not interested in having the newest and fanciest toy.

The CR-V has one of the highest nameplate loyalty in Malaysia, with many buyers replacing one CR-V with another CR-V, even when there are newer alternatives like a Mazda CX-5.

These group of buyers are not yet ready to change their lifestyle and loading multiple apps just to ‘refuel’ their car. They are used to making unplanned trips, to anywhere, anytime.

This is not to say that the Tesla Model Y is not a threat, because in many more developed markets, a Tesla Model Y outsells a Honda CR-V. Change is coming, but not today.