Almost a year after its global counterpart has been launched, the US market gets a first look at its own version of the Honda HR-V. Yes, the American version of the small crossover will be wildly different from the rest of the world – and there’s a good reason for that.
As seen on the published teaser, the HR-V sports a large polygonal grille up front, paired with swept-back headlights with sharp daytime running lights. Admittedly, the setup of the whole front fascia is reminiscent of a Porsche Macan with a Ford grille, though Honda looks to be employing an aggressive styling for the lower bumper.
At the rear, the sketch shows a familiar silhouette. The taillight graphics are also similar to those found on the City Hatchback, so the HR-V’s back isn’t exactly as strange as the front-end.
Macho would be the first word to describe the whole look of the HR-V. This is a conscious effort, mind you, as Honda has earmarked the aggressive styling on its high-riders in the US. These models include the Passport, the Pilot, and the Ridgeline pickup truck, which are all endemic to the North American market. The CR-V is said to be getting the same macho styling and now, as it turns out, the HR-V will also inherit the pugnacity as the smallest crossover in the lineup.
Why go macho, you ask? It’s simple – macho sells for the American buyer. The Toyota RAV4 for the US is a testament to that. With its redesign in 2019, the Toyota crossover saw an increase in sales that year and snagged the spot as the best-selling SUV in America.
That said, an executive from American Honda was quoted saying that the lack of macho styling is a proponent to the dismal sales of the Passport and Pilot, stating that Honda hopes to “wear rugged on our sleeves better.”
Obviously, the automaker wants to turn things around and we can already see some improvement in design for the said SUVs. It’s only a matter of time before the HR-V joins the fray.
As for the differing style from the rest of the world, American Honda has this to say:
“The development of a successor to the Honda HR-V for the U.S. market is underway. This new HR-V will be designed to meet the distinct needs of U.S. customers and will differ from the Honda Vezel/HR-V that will be introduced in other regions. Honda will have more information to share regarding the next-generation Honda HR-V designed for the U.S. market closer to launch.”
This isn’t the first time that Honda will be making a different version of a vehicle nameplate specifically for the North American market. The Honda Odyssey minivan is currently available in two versions – one bigger, one compact – and has been that way since the ‘90s.
Now, the question is, which version will the Philippines get? We’ll more likely get the Asian version, given the fact that importation rates would be cheaper if the car comes from a nearer source. Also, if we follow the pattern of the Odyssey, the smaller Japanese-spec model is being sold here, so there’s that.
However, I’d be remiss not to mention that we also got USDM models here in the Philippines in the past. I’m talking about the Honda Pilot, which, by size alone, is a full-fledged American crossover.
Will Honda Cars Philippines Inc. venture into getting an HR-V from the US this time around? Less likely, but not impossible. But as my editor and I agreed on, there are two names from the American Honda lineup that should be considered for the Philippine market: the Honda Ridgeline pickup truck and the Acura/Honda NSX supercar. This is more of a wish than an expectation, though, but what do we know?
