India bound Honda Urban SUV spotted testing

The Honda Urban SUV concept, which was first showcased early this year, at the Detroit Motor Show, will be launched at the Tokyo Motor Show. The Urban SUV has just hit the testing circuit at Germany, and there's a full fledged video to show for. From the video, it's clear that it is the Urban SUV that's being tested ahead of its year end launch. 

The Urban SUV is based on the 2014 Jazz platform, and will share its underpinnings with the Jazz hatchback and City sedan models. Incidentally, Honda will launch the next-generation 2014 Jazz hatchback in Japan today. All three cars based on the next-gen Jazz/Fit platform will be launched in India. A 2014 India launch for the Urban SUV's production version seems likely. 

The Honda Urban SUV could share its engine and transmission options with the next generation City sedan. So, a 1.5 liter i-VTEC petrol engine and a 1.5 liter i-DTEC turbo diesel engine could be offered on the new SUV. With a 4.3 meter length, the Urban SUV's dimensions will be much smaller than the CR-V crossover and likewise, the SUV will come with a price tag that's much lower than the CR-V. 

Slated to be produced in India with a high amount of localization, expect the Honda Urban SUV to compete with the EcoSports and Dusters in the Indian car market. Honda will retain the center-tank layout and magic seats on the Urban SUV, hinting at a high level of versatility and spaciousness, traits of the Man-Maximum-Machine-Minimum Honda design philosophy.

Honda is on a revival of sorts, in the Indian car market, led by the diesel powered Amaze compact sedan. Diesel engines could dominate Honda's future launches in India, with the new Jazz, new City, Urban SUV and the Brio-based MPV, all being made available with 1.5 liter diesel engines.