The Brio based compact SUV will go sale in India and other Asian markets in 2016 and will first be shown at the 2015 Tokyo Motor Show scheduled in October.
You read it first on MotorBeam. Honda will be launching its Brio based compact SUV by late 2016 in India. Set for unveil later this year in October at the 2015 Tokyo Motor Show, the Brio based compact SUV is being developed for emerging markets as an alternative to the Vezel compact SUV (HR-V in the US) that is currently on sale in Japan and other developed markets. The automaker chose to stick to the Brio platform that has been very successful for Honda churning out the Brio hatchback, Amaze compact sedan and most recently the Mobilio MPV.
To be sold primarily in Asian markets, the upcoming Honda Brio based compact SUV will be competing against a host of offerings in the country including the Ford EcoSport, upcoming Maruti YBA, Tata Nexon and Mahindra S101/S102 among others and will be a sub 4-metre model. With the Brio platform having done wonders for Honda India, the auto giant is betting big on the success of the compact SUV as well. However, we do think that it will be losing out on sales significantly with a hiatus of almost a year post the unveiling.
While details on the upcoming SUV are not out yet, it is a given that Honda India will retain the 1.5-litre i-DTEC diesel and 1.2-litre petrol engines under the hood to maximise on the small car excise duty benefit. In terms of aesthetics, the automaker could bring in the design language from the CR-V that was extended to the Vezel or stick to the Brio’s design that is also seen on the Amaze and Mobilio. We personally root for the former though. More details are expected to be come out as we head closer to the October unveil, while prices in India can be expected to start at around Rs. 8 lakhs (ex-showroom).
