Merely weeks after its global debut in Japan, the all-new 2021 Honda HR-V has been spotted in Thailand.

As seen on social media sites, this particular Honda HR-V was spotted somewhere in the vicinity of Ayutthaya, Thailand – the same area where Honda Thailand has a production facility.

Despite its heavy camouflage, it is clearly the all-new Honda HR-V, as the design cues pretty much mirror that of the camouflaged units first seen in Japan.

Also Read: Mysterious SUV spotted, could this be the next-gen Honda HR-V?

Seeing that the all-new Honda HR-V has been spotted in Thailand, a debut in the Kingdom in late-2021/early-2022 is very likely. For context, spyshots of the all-new Honda City first surfaced from Thailand in June 2019, roughly six months before its debut in December 2019.

What has changed with the all-new Honda HR-V?

The all-new Honda HR-V gets a completely redesigned exterior with a sleeker-looking front fascia, featuring slim LED headlights flanking an elongated hexagonal grille – not too dissimilar from a Mazda.

Towards the rear-end, the all-new Honda HR-V gets an equally sleek design, with a large horizontal light strip connecting both LED tail lights.

At launch, the Japan market Honda HR-V will get the choice of two powertrains - the first being Honda's tried-and-tested naturally-aspirated 1.5-litre DOHC i-VTEC mill mated to a CVT-type automatic. The second is a 1.5-litre petrol-electric e:HEV hybrid powertrain, similar to the one that powers the soon-to-be launched Honda City RS.

Also Read: All-new 2021 Honda HR-V, what's new?

Is the all-new Honda HR-V coming to Malaysia?

The short answer ranges from an outright no, to a yes but with a significantly higher price.

The all-new Honda HR-V, which is more sophisticated (and therefore higher cost) than the outgoing model, could skip Malaysia as it might end up being too expensive for the current customer base, especially with the tax advantage enjoyed by the Proton X50 and Perodua Ativa.

You might end up paying more for the all-new Honda HR-V

The second possibility is that the all-new Honda HR-V could still be offered here, but with a significantly higher price.

While the outgoing Honda HR-V is currently priced between RM 104k to RM 119k, don't expect the next-generation Honda HR-V to be priced this low. For reference, the Honda CR-V is priced between RM 140k to RM 163k.

As the next-gen Honda HR-V goes up in price, we think that Honda Malaysia might just fill that gap with the next-generation Honda WR-V instead.

Also Read: All-new 2022 Honda WR-V will fight Perodua D55L