We already know that the all-new HR-V will be launching in 2022 with Honda Malaysia themselves seemingly confirming its arrival at a recent media relations event. However, we didn’t know just how soon that would be. Now we kinda do.
This is the first time the 3rd-generation HR-V has been spotted on Malaysian soil, and here the highly camouflaged (too conspicuous much?) unit was seen in broad daylight by many in typical Kuala Lumpur traffic as it journeyed between what looks like Cheras and the Sungai Besi highway. Almost seems intentional…
Shortly after, the photos and video emerged on social media, specifically from the Proton X50 Community group page, posted by user Mohd Asrul B Saari.
With presumably multiple units of the all-new HR-V rolling around our roads, that’s decent indication that Honda is at least contemplating a launch within the next few months when the public expectation was set much more conservatively for later in 2022.
The reason for this is the expected complications surrounding the component acquisition and supply of its powertrain in addition to the car's expected CKD status from launch, which in other markets such as Thailand includes Honda’s i-MMD e:HEV hybrid drive.
It is essentially the same powerplant that features in City RS and City Hatchback RS e:HEV and in the HR-V is expected to share identical outputs 105PS and 253Nm from its electric traction motor.
However, it’s also expected that the bulk of the all-new HR-V’s variants will be powered by the 1.5-litre VTEC Turbo, invariably paired to a CVT to drive the front wheels. In this configuration, it could match the 182PS and 240Nm found in the 11th-gen Civic.
This would be mirroring how the all-new HR-V is sold in Singapore where a choice is given to the buyer between hybrid or petrol-only. In Thailand, however, only the e:HEV is sold.
Its predecessor, the outgoing second-generation HR-V (also called the Vezel in some markets) has been one of Honda’s most consistently successful models and in Malaysia dominated the B-segment SUV market before more competitors started to challenge its reign.
Still, despite being showing its age, it does still manage to put up a good fight against much younger, hungrier competition as we’ve shown in our four-way B-segment SUV shootout video series.
Keyword: 3rd-Gen Honda HR-V Spotted In KL. Launching Soon With VTEC Turbo, e:HEV?