2 new Honda SUVs under works, one is a sub-compact SUV and the other will be a Creta rival.
Honda has tasted success with the WR-V crossover in India and is now wanting to cash in on the country’s craze for SUVs. The Japanese automaker is reportedly working on two new SUVs for India, the first one being a new sub 4-metre compact SUV which will essentially replace the WR-V crossover and the other being a compact SUV that will rival the Hyundai Creta.
According to sources, Honda insiders have confirmed that the new Amaze platform (codenamed 2UA) has the capability to spawn new body styles and hence, the two new SUVs could be built on the same platform. The new Amaze’s platform has been made in such a way that it is capable of housing larger wheels which are a given for SUVs. The first-gen Amaze’s platform was essentially a small car platform and had to be modified for underpinning the BR-V.
Reports suggest that the first of the two new SUVs will be a sub 4-metre compact SUV that will go against the likes of the Maruti Vitara Brezza, Ford EcoSport and Tata Nexon. This new SUV will effectively replace the current WR-V crossover and is likely to make it to our roads by 2021. Expect the prices to be more competitive than the WR-V as the crossover is based on the Jazz platform while the new sub-compact SUV will be based on the more affordable Amaze platform.
The second SUV could measure around 4.2 to 4.3-metres in length and will rival the Hyundai Creta primarily. To be positioned as a more premium offering, this new vehicle will get traditional SUV design elements. What remains to be seen is whether Honda will make this vehicle a 5-seater or a 7-seater SUV. Also, the fact that the next-generation Creta will be offered in a 7-seater avatar makes it safe to assume that Honda too could follow suit.
Both the SUVs will come powered by the existing set of engines and transmissions. The Creta rival is likely to borrow the 1.5-litre i-VTEC petrol motor from the City while the sub-compact SUV is expected to get the 1.2-litre petrol powerplant from the Amaze. Diesel engines will also be offered and both the SUVs will come powered by the 1.5-litre i-DTEC motor that will be upgraded to meet BS-6 emission norms. Manual as well as automatic gearboxes will be on offer in both the SUVs.
2 New Honda SUVs
– Honda developing two new SUVs – a sub-compact SUV and a compact SUV
– Compact SUV will rival the Hyundai Creta
– Sub-compact SUV will replace the existing WR-V crossover
Source – AutocarIndia.com
