Honda had unveiled the BR-V prototype at the 2015 Gaikindo Indonesia International Auto Show (GIIAS) in August 2015. The company has confirmed Indonesia as one of the first market to receive the compact SUV initially.
Honda Cars India Limited (HCIL) has already confirmed the India entry of the BR-V sometime in next fiscal year.
According to a report in Autocar Indonesia, Honda Prospect Motor, the Indonesian arm of Honda, will launch the compact SUV on 2 December. The company started accepting bookings at the GIIAS on 20 September and it was reported that over 3,500 orders were placed at the show. The compact SUV will be manufactured at Honda's Karawang plant in Indonesia for domestic market.
The seven seater compact SUV will be unveiled in India at 2016 Auto Expo in February. Powering the Honda BR-V will be the same 1.5-litre i-VTEC petrol and 1.5-litre i-DTEC diesel units that also do duty on the Honda City. The engines will be mated to a 5-speed manual gearbox and a CVT automatic.
The BR-V measures 4,455mm in length, 1,735 mm in width and 1,650 mm in height with a 2660 mm long wheelbase. The vehicle also boasts of segment-leading 200mm of ground clearance.
The BR-V comes with signature thick single chrome slat grille that we have seen in the Honda City. The prominent grill is flanked by projector headlamps. The wide air dam is covered with honeycomb finish. A skid plate at the bottom of the front bumper and side cladding throws light on the off-road pedigree of the vehicle.
On the safety front, the vehicle will feature dual and front SRS airbag, anti-lock braking system (ABS) and electronic brake distribution (EBD), vehicle stability assist (VSA), and hill start assist (HSA).
The BR-V in India will be built on HCIL's Tapukara plant in Rajasthan and will compete against Renault Duster, Hyundai Creta and Maruti Suzuki S-Cross.
