We broke the story back in January, and now Honda has confirmed that a small Jazz-based SUV concept will debut at the Detroit Motor Show in January 2013. When it reaches showrooms - likely in late 2013, after the production car is shown in Tokyo in November - it will sit below the CR-V in the range.
The show car - which is called the Urban SUV Concept - is teased in this darkened sketch, but the proportions and several design details are clear to see. A low coupe-like roof and swollen wheelarches give it a stretched-out sporty look, while the signature line is a bold upturned crease that joins the window line to create a point in the C-pillar.
The front door handle is visible but not the rear, suggesting some sort of hidden handle in the C-pillar is likely. Turbine-style alloys, narrow head and tail lights and a roof spoiler complete the styling.
Honda has released precious few details on the car at this stage, other than to say that it is a global model that will definitely be coming to the UK.
We'll bring you all the details and pictures when the car makes its world debut in Detroit on 14 January next year.
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It's gonna take Honda three years to bring this mini-SUV to the market. Shame for a company that gave us FRV a decade ago.
And all hail to Nissan who re-invented the mini-SUV category with its quirky Juke. The rest is history. Vauxhal, Chevrolet, Ford, Peugeot, Renault and VW are all playing catch-up.
Intrestingly AE's rival website claims this new SUV is going to be based on the Jazz rather than the Civic. Either way this should be a good one from a company that have produced some excellent SUV's including the HRV (first appearing in 98) which probably provided Nissan with a lot of inspiration for the Juke.
A pity Honda didn't keep updating the HRV, an underappreciated and definitely undermarketed vehicle. My (very) old used one was great in the winter snows a couple of years ago.