Honda Civic Cross? Honda HR-V Euro? US HR-V confirmed for Australia to slot in between HR-V and CR-V with name yet-to-be confirmed

Honda Australia’s next SUV has been confirmed as the US-market HR-V, but when it lands in local showrooms, it will wear a different nomenclature.

Whether Honda badges the model as a Civic Cross, HR-V Euro, FR-V or something else is still unclear, but it will slot in above the soon-to-launch HR-V and below the CR-V SUVs.

When asked by CarsGuide if the new model will indeed be the US HR-V, which is confirmed to also come to Europe, Honda Australia boss Stephen Collins said: “It will be that same model.”

“Obviously it’s badged as HR-V in the US, which it won’t be here, the designation or the name hasn’t been globally released as yet,” he said.

“But it is that car, effectively.”

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The US HR-V was revealed early last month, and features different styling from the Aussie-spec, coupe-like HR-V thanks to a new front-end with a honeycomb grille and more SUV-like proportions.

In fact, the underpinnings of both HR-Vs are different, with the Australian version using the Jazz/Fit architecture, while the US model making use of the Civic platform.

This makes the US-market HR-V larger than the Australian model of the same name, which shrinks in boot size and number of seating (from five to four) compared to its predecessor.

“We’ll be adding another SUV to our line-up that will sit above this [HR-V] and below CR-V, we think that will cater for people who need more seats,” Mr Collins said.

In terms of powertrains, the Australian HR-V is available with either a 1.5-litre petrol engine or a petrol-electric hybrid, outputting 89kW/145Nm and 96kW/253Nm respectively.

However, with the US HR-V being based on Honda’s small car, reports from overseas are showing the new crossover will score a 2.0-litre petrol engine – the same engine available in the North American Civic that is good for 116kW/187Nm.

The new model could also score the 1.5-litre turbo-petrol four-cylinder engine as seen in the Australian Civic, which outputs 131kW/240Nm.

Honda Australia is also committed to bringing an electrified powertrain of each new model launch going forward, so don’t be surprised if the new Civic’s 135kW/315Nm hybrid set-up makes an appearance.

Either way, the outputs better match the outgoing HR-V’s 105kW/172Nm 1.8-litre engine.

As for why the new Honda crossover is needed, Mr Collins said the brand will fill some gaps in its line-up to better compete against rivals like Mazda and Toyota.

“We will have a stable of three SUVs that really well match what the market is demanding,” he said.

“HR-V is more a younger person’s vehicle, and when you look the other two, depending on your life stage, it’ll be very much competitive in that family SUV space.

Pricing is also another piece of the puzzle, but expect it to slot in between the HR-V (priced from $36,700-$45,000 driveaway) and CR-V (priced from $35,300-$53,200) – though the latter is due for a new-generation refresh soon.

Timing is also unconfirmed, but more information on Honda’s next model is expected in the coming months.