New Honda HR-V: interior previewed ahead of 18 February unveil
New HR-V e:HEV will ditch pure petrol and diesel power for an exclusively electrified offering
Honda has released a few hints at the interior of the upcoming new HR-V ahead of its reveal next week, revealing a cabin redesign for the model.
The third-generation Honda HR-V will be revealed on 18 February as an electrified crossover to rival the Ford Puma and Nissan Juke.
Now officially called the HR-V e:HEV, the SUV will be sold exclusively with a hybrid powertrain from launch in line with Honda's strategy to electrify its entire European line-up by 2022.
Technical details remain unconfirmed, but the HR-V will likely use a variation of the larger CR-V Hybrid's powertrain – which mates a 2.0-litre Atkinson-cycle petrol engine with a pair of electric motors and a new fixed-gear transmission – or the smaller Jazz supermini's similar 1.5-litre set-up.
It's possible that, like the electrified CR-V, the HR-V will be available with a choice of front- or four-wheel-drive configurations. Honda claims it will pair "high efficiency with refined, fun-to-drive performance".
Preview images gives little away in terms of the model's design but gives a better look at details we've previously seen in spy shots, namely the heavily raked roofline, rear spoiler and slim rear light bar differing from today's model.
Although the views of the cabin in the latest shots aren't extensive, we can see that the HR-V will now offer a touchscreen protruding upwards from the dash rather than sitting flush, with reduced shortcut buttons but what should be a more modern interface. The screen is flanked by air vents, while Wireless Apple CarPlay can also be seen in action.
Official details of the new HR-V come soon afer Honda confirmed the second-generation HR-V had been taken out of production ahead of the introduction of tighter RDE2 emissions regulations on 1 January.
On sale since 2013, the HR-V had been available with a choice of either a 1.5-litre petrol engine or a 1.6-litre diesel, both of which will not be offered in Honda's line-up from next year onwards.
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