• Mysterious Honda SUV spotted again in Japan
• Better view at its rear-end
• Could Honda offer this Civic-based SUV in Japan?

Seeing the sheer popularity of the Toyota Corolla Cross and Toyota C-HR, Honda isn’t resting one bit. Following the debut of the RV-generation Honda HR-V, it appears that Honda is in the midst of developing yet another crossover, to match Toyota's diverse SUV offering.

​​A pair of said crossover was spotted again in Japan recently, courtesy of a set of photos published on Creative311. It's difficult to ascertain what model these Hondas are, but our guess is that these could be the recently-launched Civic-based HR-V.

Keep in mind that the US-market HR-V is a different, bigger model from our City-based Honda HR-V, which is sold in Japan as the Vezel.

Is Honda planning to re-introduce the HR-V nameplate in Japan, positioned between Vezel and CR-V?

Now, these photos give a reasonably good look at the exterior of the new Honda SUV. Similar to earlier spyshots of this SUV, it looks like it could be getting vertical slats placed within the front grille – a very un-Honda design element.

Also Read: Honda's new, upcoming SUV spied in Japan; middle ground between HR-V and CR-V

In fact, this is the first time we’re getting a good look at said SUV’s rear-end. Despite wearing copious amount of camouflage, we can still make out the general outline of the tail lights, and it appears to look somewhat similar to the US-spec Honda HR-V.

Also Read: All-new Civic-based 2022 Honda HR-V debuts for USA with independent rear suspension

​Perhaps the biggest change between the two, at least on the rear, is the dual-muffler set-up on the Japanese one. The US-spec HR-V gets a single muffler tip on the right of the bumper.

Also Read: Spied: Civic-based Honda SUV spotted in China, aimed right at Corolla Cross

Is this the rumoured Civic-based SUV?

While it is a bit too soon be 100 percent sure, there are hints that seemingly point towards it being as such – the design of the rear-end is similar to the US-spec HR-V, itself based on the Civic FE.

This move isn’t exactly new – Toyota employed a similar strategy with the Toyota Corolla Cross, by adopting the Corolla Altis’ proven TNGA-C platform and giving it more usability than the Toyota C-HR.

Also Read: Bigger than yours, all-new Civic-based 2023 Honda HR-V's boot space shown in latest teaser for USA

Can Honda’s line-up fit another SUV?

​In Japan, Honda’s current line-up of SUVs consists of the Honda Vezel (sold as HR-V outside of Japan) and the Honda CR-V.

According to earlier reports, the new purported Civic-based SUV will slot between the HR-V / Vezel and CR-V in their line-up.

For context, the RV-generation Honda HR-V measures 4,330 mm long, while its core rival, the Corolla Cross is 4,460 mm long. There is still ample space for Honda to squeeze a new SUV in there, with dimensions carefully slotting between the HR-V and CR-V.

Also Read: After Civic FE, Honda Malaysia to launch 2 more models, 2022 HR-V VTEC Turbo and BR-V hinted