Come April 2023 Honda Cars India will officially discontinue models like the – Jazz, WR-V and the 4th-gen City. In fact, Honda dealers have already stopped selling the models and by April 2023 the carmaker will only have the Amaze and the City sedans on sale in India. However, the company is planning to launch a bunch of new models, and the first model is expected to be a new compact SUV that will arrive by mid-2023.
While details about the SUV are unknown, we expect the model SUV to be the India-spec version of the Honda HR-V, however, whether it will use the same moniker or not is yet to be seen. Some of the Honda dealers we have spoken to have told us that the new SUV will be revealed around April or May, while the official launch is expected to happen sometime around June 2023. In fact, select dealers are already accepting pre-bookings for the SUV for a token of Rs. 11,000, which they say will be fully refundable.
Also Read: New-Gen Honda HR-V For North American Markets Unveiled, Launch Later This Year
Honda has been testing the new compact SUV (HR-V) in India for a few years now. In fact, we also shared some exclusive photos of the test mule sometime back. Based on the spy photos we can tell the new SUV will have a coupe- or a crossover-like design with a muscular front end, heavy cladding and a sloping roofline.
Visually, based on the spy photos, we can say that Honda adopted the contemporary trend of the split lighting system. The overall stance of the vehicle is much upright with a hint of squarish tumble zone hinting at good space inside, but it's been cleverly made to look more stylish and agile. The roof is flatter which makes it look longer, while the beltline moves upward, along with a sloping rear section.
It’s too soon to comment on other specifications and engine details, however, we would expect the new SUV to borrow the powertrains from the Honda City, which comes with both, 1.5-litre petrol and a strong hybrid version. And we would expect the SUV to come in both versions. This will also allow the car to compete with the likes of the Maruti Suzuki Grand Vitara and Toyota Urban Cruiser Hyryder. It will also go up against the likes of the Hyundai Creta, Kia Seltos, and MG Astor.
Image Credit: Potdar Desing
