Euro-Spec Honda HR-V (Vezel) Caught Testing For The First Time

What we know and prefer to call as Vezel will be christened as HR-V for the American as well as European markets. Honda’s sub-compact crossover was showcased at the New York Auto Show, however it is already on sale in Japan under the name Vezel.

The American HR-V will be reviving the name of a mini SUV sold between 1999 and 2006. This name would also be used in the Australian and Canadian markets.

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Spy shots of the European spec model has come up on the internet thanks to WorldCarFans.com which have been clicked during its high altitude testing somewhere in the Alps. The car looks very much like the one shown in New York. The HR-V is placed below the CR-V and carries over the design DNA of the larger car.

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The car will be powered by a 1.5L i-VTEC petrol motor which produces 132PS of power and 154Nm of torque. Transmission duties might be dealt with a Continuously Variable Transmission (CVT) gearbox. It might even get a 7-speed dual clutch gearbox like the one in the test model.

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The Vezel in Japan also gets a hybrid variant which houses a 29.5PS electric motor along with the regular petrol mill. This test mule was a front wheel drive car but there might be a higher spec variant with an all-wheel drive as well. HR-V will be launched in Europe towards the early part of next year (2015).

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India plans? Well, Honda’s Indian management has been pretty clear that they would NOT be bringing the HR-V/Vezel to India as it would end up being a bit too expensive for the segment. India would, instead, get a new Brio-based compact SUV to plug the demand of a smaller SUV below the CR-V to slug it out with the likes of EcoSport and others.

Related: This is How Honda’s Upcoming Brio Based Compact SUV May Look Like

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