India Bound Honda Urban SUV Named ‘CR-U’; Manufacturing Starts in 2014 From China

In an interesting bit, CarNewsChina.com has stated that Honda will start production of the much awaited Urban SUV in China under the Guangzhou-Honda joint venture from next year. The production version of the Urban SUV will be showcased at the Tokyo Motor Show, which kicks off in a few days.

It is also being said that the production version of the Honda Urban SUV will be named as Honda CR-U. The Urban SUV made its first foray at the Detroit Auto Show in January as a concept. As you can make out from the picture above, it had a radical design theme. The production version could possess a somewhat mellowed-down look.

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The Urban SUV is based on the platform of the Honda Jazz / Fit. It is Honda’s prompt retort to the mushrooming number of compact SUVs from manufacturers worldwide. Internationally, the Urban SUV will lock horns with contemporaries like Chevrolet Trax, Nissan Juke, Peugeot 2008 and Fiat 500X. Back home in India, it will look towards providing stiff competition to Ford EcoSport, Nissan Terrano and Renault Duster.

Currently, we have very little information available about the URBAN SUV. Here’s what we know :

  • It is based on the global Fit/Jazz platform
  • Its length at 4300 mm is well over the magical mark of 4 metres in India
  • It is, however, smaller than the C-RV and will obviously be less pricier

Honda-urban-SUV-side-view

It will be imperative of Honda to bring a product which should be more premium in order to be perched atop the EcoSports, Dusters and Terranos. Though we aren’t sure about the interiors, we feel they will be modelled on that of the new Honda Jazz / Fit. Regarding the powerplant options for India, the 1.5L Earth Dreams diesel engine of the Amaze is almost a certainty. It will possess a higher state of tune, though. There will also be the option of 1.5 L turbocharged-petrol engines, so says HondasAcuras.com.

Honda-Urban-SUV-Spy-Pic (3)
This is Urban SUVs first and only test mule spotting till now on the web. Click pic for details. Credit: ‘KlumpFuss Produktion’

The Honda Urban SUV will be launched in the Chinese market towards the fag end of 2014. It will also undergo production in the Mexico and USA. The Urban SUV is actually one of the five new product launches of Honda Cars India Limited over the next three years and it is expected to make way sometime in 2015.

Also Read: Honda Mobilio MPV to Gun For Ertiga; Launch Expected Around Mid 2014

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