The North American-market Honda HR-V isn’t exclusive to that continent after all. It is set to become a global model, but will be renamed as the ZR-V not just for China (top photo), but for the European market as well.
Slotting between the Vezel-based HR-V which we get and the CR-V, Honda is setting its sights on the Corolla Cross. In order to do so, they’re taking a page off Toyota’s playbook by introducing an in-betweener SUV. It must be remembered that Toyota already has the C-HR and the RAV4, but opted to slot in the Corolla Cross in-between the two.
Going back to the ZR-V, the Civic-based global crossover is pretty much what’s already been teased for the U.S. market. The naming convention, according to Honda, is their desire to tap the “Generation Z” market.
In terms of powertrains, in China, where it’ll be manufactured by GAC-Honda, it will be offered with the 1.5-liter VTEC Turbo engine also found in the Civic. This same engine will likely also make its way to the U.S. market where it’ll be joined by a normally-aspirated 2.0-liter as well as the e:HEV hybrid. Meanwhile, Europe is confirmed to exclusively get hybrid power. This means it’ll likely share the Civic e:HEV’s 184 horsepower powertrain.
With the ZR-V also likely to launch in Japan, the big question is: will Honda be bringing the ZR-V to the Southeast Asian region as well? It all makes sense given that the compact sedan segment is already pretty slim, volume-wise. With the CR-V expected to go up in terms of both price and size, it’s highly likely that Honda will be able to shoehorn another SUV between the recently-launched HR-V and the long-serving CR-V.
What are your thoughts on the Honda ZR-V?
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