Honda Midsize SUV (Creta Rival) To Likely Use Same Engine As City Hybrid

2022 Honda ZR-V China debut img4
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Honda’s Creta rivalling midsize SUV will reportedly be introduced in the early parts of 2024 and it will likely share engines with the City

Honda Cars India relies on the Amaze compact sedan and City midsize sedan to garner volumes in the domestic market and is reportedly planning to bring in new SUVs to strengthen its portfolio. The Japanese auto major is said to be working on a compact SUV bound for next year while a midsize SUV will enter showrooms in the early parts of 2024.

Internally codenamed 3RA, the midsize SUV will rival Hyundai Creta, Kia Seltos, Volkswagen Taigun, Skoda Kushaq, Nissan Kicks and MG Astor amongst others in the highly competitive space. It is believed to stretch to an overall length of around 4.3 metres. The Creta is expected to get a comprehensive update in early 2023 and the facelifted Seltos could also come on the same timeline.

Besides cosmetic changes, they are rumoured to gain ADAS (Advanced Driver Assistance Systems) based driver-assistive and safety features. In response to the competition, the Honda 3RA could be equipped with the company’s new electronic architecture boasting a large touchscreen infotainment system with the latest connectivity tech.

Honda RS Concept 1
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The ADAS features are already available in the City Hybrid and the 3RA may also get lane departure warning, blind-spot monitoring, autonomous emergency braking and so on. To keep the production costs in check, the midsize SUV will have several commonalities with the highly popular City midsize sedan, which could include the powertrain options.

The City Hybrid is equipped with a 1.5-litre four-cylinder Atkinson Cycle petrol engine and it works in tandem with two electric motors – one acting as an electric generator while the other is a propulsion motor. The hybrid system is designed to operate at around 2,000 rpm for peak efficiency and has the segment-best fuel efficiency of 26.5 kmpl.

We can expect the Honda 3RA to have class-leading fuel economy as well but the segment will see the arrival of the Toyota Urban Cruiser Hyryder and Maruti Suzuki YFG in mild hybrid and strong hybrid guises in the coming months. The exterior of the 3RA could be in line with the latest crop of Honda models sold globally.