The Indian arm of Honda released a teaser sketch of a new SUV that is set to debut in summer 2023. The automaker describes the SUV as an “all-new” model designed by Honda R&D Asia Pacific in order to fulfill the specific needs of Indian customers. The teaser sketch is dark but the LED headlights and the upper portion of the grille look very similar to the European / Japanese versions of the Honda HR-V. The rest of the design however appears to be unique, including the foglights, the rugged wheel arches with plastic cladding, the roofline, and the toned-up rear shoulders.
The company claims they performed
“extensive market surveys in India for people’s changing lifestyle requirements
and expectations from Honda for their new SUV in terms of design &
performance”. It is not clear if the model will use a new name or one of the
many tried-and-tested SUV nameplates in Honda’s portfolio.
The teaser doesn’t include any information
about the technical aspects of the compact SUV. Reports from local media
suggest it could share the naturally-aspirated 1.5-liter petrol and the hybrid
e:HEV powertrains from the Honda City sedan, as well as five-speed manual and
CVT transmissions. When it arrives this summer, Honda’s new compact SUV will
compete with the likes of the Hyundai Creta, Kia Seltos, Suzuki Grand Vitara /
Toyota Hyryder, Skoda Kushaq, and VW Taigun in the Indian market.
