Honda teases a compact SUV for China

Call it a global need for ground clearance or a new found love for the body type, but the compact SUV trend is far from over. In India, Maruti, Mahindra, Hyundai and Tata are among the brands that will be bringing in small SUVs over the next 2 years or so. Honda was rumoured to be working on a Brio based crossover. While there hasn’t been any official update on that story, Honda has just teased a China specific compact SUV concept that will make its public debut at the Shanghai motor show.

The concept has been jointly developed with the Japanese automaker’s Chinese subsidiaries Guangqi Honda Automobile and Dongfeng Honda Automobile. The teaser image shows the car with sleek swept back headlamps (possibly LEDs), blackened A and B-pillars, beefed up wheel arches and Honda’s “solid wing face” grille (one flowing stroke from grill to headlights) that has been seen on models like the CR-V and Jazz/Fit.

The production model will not be a sub-four metre vehicle. While this SUV is targeting the Chinese market, given how lucrative the segment is in markets like India, Honda could consider a derivation of the concept for other regions.