Honda Working On Small Crossover To Compete With Dacia Duster

TTAC Staff
by TTAC Staff

Unveiled as Honda’s entrant into the booming small crossover segment, the Fit-based Vezel will compete with products like the Ford EcoSport, Nissan Juke and Dacia Duster in both Europe and North America, but not in emerging markets. According to a report by Autocar India, Honda will develop an all-new small crossover based on the Brio, a low-cost, locally built A-segment car, for India and other makets.

According to Honda executives, economics have made the Vezel a no-go for India, thanks to a freefall in the value of the Rupee. The Vezel, which would retail for the equivalent of $25,000, would require significant localization to be built and sold in India, and the costs and complexity would be too great. Items like the high-quality interior and the electronic parking brake would be difficult to re-engineer for local manufacturing, and re-engineering wouldn’t provide any appreciable cost savings either.

The Brio platform, which has already been altered to produce a sedan and an MPV, is a lower-cost alternative that could help a future small crossover meet its price point in emerging markets, but it would still require sufficient re-engineering to become an SUV.

TTAC Staff
TTAC Staff

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  • Tuffjuff Tuffjuff on Dec 31, 2013

    As a man 6'5", I read this headline and think "wait, isn't the Honda CR-V small enough?" The answer is apparently no.

  • Krayzie Krayzie on Jan 01, 2014

    The Mugen version of this comes with the beak grill.

  • Ryoku75 Ryoku75 on Jan 01, 2014

    It has the face of a Hyundai and it steals Nissans hidden rear door handles all the while having a low swoopy back end, why not just make it a coupe? At least then there'd be a reason for it to exist with most CUVs being 4-doors.

  • Corey Lewis Corey Lewis on Jan 02, 2014

    "compete with products like the Ford EcoSport, Nissan Juke and Dacia Duster in both Europe and North America, but not in emerging markets." We don't even get two of those three things, but ok. And I made a list of all the reasons this is called a CUV as opposed to a hatchback: -Plastic cladding

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