'Same same but different' All-new Honda HR-V makes Chinese debut as Honda Vezel

What we know as the all-new 2022 Honda HR-V has made its official debut in China however, it will be known by its Japanese name, the Honda Vezel instead. The model will be sold by Guangqi Honda, one of two joint ventures Honda has in China.

In case you get confused, in China, the HR-V and the Vezel are marketed as different models as they are sold by different JVs, the HR-V namesake is sold by Dongfeng Honda and is based on the Honda Civic. But we’re focused on the Vezel in this article, so we won’t delve too deep into the differences.

The debut of the Vezel in China also marked the debut of a new unique colour for the model. The colour is known as Vine Flower Purple (directly translated) and it’s a light pinkish purple tone. The Vezel is also offered in a dual-tone finish to give the car the illusion of a floating roof.

Other than the new colour, the Vezel also features a front grille that is made up of a set of horizontal lines while the lower air intake features a honeycomb design, much like the Japanese Vezel and the lower-spec HR-V in Thailand. 

But other than that, the Vezel is largely similar to the model sold in Malaysia. Even the interior is very similar to the Malaysian-spec car though it looks like the Chinese Vezel will feature fabric seats instead of leather seats.

It looks like the Vezel in China will only be sold with the 1.5-litre naturally aspirated petrol engine that has an output of 124 PS. Like most of the world, the engine is mated to a CVT.

Also read: Widest range in the world - Only Malaysia's 2022 Honda HR-V come with 3 engine options, here's why

But as this is just a debut, these could just be preliminary details and more details such as more powertrains will be made known at launch. 

As of yet, no information about the car’s safety equipment has been released, however, images of the car show a camera behind its windscreen, so the Vezel will likely come with a full suite of Honda Sensing ADAS.

Guangqi Honda hopes that the 2023 Honda Vezel will go on sale as soon as early 2023 and that the model will continue to win over hearts just like the previous generation had when it was first launched in 2014.

Also read: Bigger, bolder all-new 2021 Honda HR-V debuts, coming to Malaysia in 2022?