Honda RS compact SUV concept revealed: Will rival Hyundai Creta & Kia Seltos

Honda has unveiled a new mid-size SUV at the GIIAS 2021 in Indonesia. It is called Honda RS and it is still a concept. We expect the production-spec version of the new mid-size SUV to be revealed in the upcoming months. It should measure around 4.3 metres in length, which is roughly the same length as the Kia Seltos and the Hyundai Creta.

The Honda RS is a 5-seater vehicle and it has a design of a coupe SUV. The production-spec Honda RS will sit below Honda HR-V in the global line-up. Honda has not yet confirmed if this SUV will ever come to India. Because of its size, it will be going against the Hyundai Creta, Skoda Kushaq, Kia Seltos and Volkswagen Taigun.

The design of the Honda RS looks very attractive and sporty. Up-front we have a slim yet aggressive headlamp with a LED Daytime Running Lamp. There is also a new grille with a chrome garnish on top. The bumper is relatively simple with vertical slats on the side and a faux skid plate.

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On the side, there is gloss black plastic cladding and a red strip on the doors. There is a strong crease that runs throughout the length of the SUV. The door handles are finished in chrome whereas the outside rearview mirrors and the roof is finished in gloss black and the roof rails are grey in colour. There are also blacked-out alloy wheels. At the rear, there are slim LED tail lamps with a lightbar. There are also vertical slats in the rear bumper too. There is also a skid plate at the rear.

The production-spec version of the Honda RS will come with the same engines as the fifth generation City. So, there is a 1.5-litre petrol engine and the same engine is also offered with mild-hybrid technology.

The engine produces 121 hp of max power and 145 Nm of peak torque. It is a four-cylinder, naturally aspirated engine. The engine comes mated to a 6-speed manual gearbox or a CVT automatic transmission.

New SUV for India

Honda is already working on a new mid-size SUV for the Indian market. It has been codenamed 31XA while the production-spec version is expected to be called Elevate because Honda has already filed a trademark for the same nameplate.

Elevate will share its platform and engine options with the 5th gen City. So, expect that it will come with a 1.5-litre naturally-aspirated petrol engine and a 1.5-litre diesel engine. The petrol engine produces 121 PS of max power and 145 Nm whereas the diesel engine produces 100 PS of max power and 200 Nm of peak torque. Honda might retune the engines to produce more power. It is possible that Honda also offers a hybrid engine with the Elevate.

Honda will offer the Elevate in a 5-seater version and a 7-seater version. The 5-seater version will compete against the mid-size SUVs such as Hyundai Creta, Kia Seltos, Skoda Kushaq, Tata Harrier, MG Hector and Volkswagen Taigun. The 7-seater version will compete with larger SUVs such as Hyundai Alcazar, Mahindra XUV700, MG Hector and Tata Safari.

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