GIIAS 2015: Honda Reveals First Official Details, Image Of BR-V Prototype

One of the most exciting cars at the on-going Gaikindo Indonesia International Auto Show, the Honda BR-V Prototype has only just been unveiled for the world to see. While they do say Prototype for now, again, we do believe that this vehicle is probably as close to production spec as it will ever get.

But before we bring you the live images from the event, here is Honda, finally revealing the first ever official image of their all-new seven-seater SUV, along with a few preliminary specifications of it.

The vehicle itself was presented earlier this morning by Noriaki Abe, Chief Operating Officer for Regional Operation (Asia and Oceania) of Honda Motor Co., Ltd, who said, “With the all-new seven-seat BR-V and the rest of the Honda line-up, we will continue to offer exciting products and the joy of driving to our customers in Indonesia.

“The Honda BR-V was developed to fulfill the needs of Indonesian customers. We believe Honda BR-V will be greatly received by customers in Indonesia and become the main attraction in this year’s motor show.”

Four key areas of the vehicle were briefly elaborated on, being the exterior design, interior styling, powertrain and safety. Here are the key highlights of which have been shared.

Exterior Styling:

As seen by the pictures that were leaked earlier on, the Honda BR-V does have a high ground clearance which will allow it to tread various off-road surfaces easily. It will also have large roof rails available on variants of the car, which allows for versatile rooftop cargo carrying.

The rear taillight (not visible in the sole image of the car, but viewable in the gallery below) are LED types, with a C-character design. The BR-V is also said to feature new 16-inch alloy wheels, but we imagine that the availability of this will be something that varies from variant to variant.

Interior Styling:

Going off what images we’ve seen of the car thus far, the interior design does appear to resemble what Honda current employs in its Jazz and City models. New here is that Honda has confirmed a “class-leading spacious and comfortable cabin with additional knee room and head room.”

The brand’s multi-information display screen on the instrument panel has also been iterated, as well as a rear air-conditioner between the first and second row seats to expand air flow to all areas of the vehicle.

Engine and Transmission:

As expected, Honda’s four-cylinder 1.5-litre i-VTEC petrol engine is utilised here, and not the 1.8-litre four-pot from the Malaysian-spec HR-V petrol some sites were speculating.

The unit makes a total of 120 hp @ 6,000 rpm, and has a torque figure of 145 Nm @ 4,600 rpm.

This power is put to the road via a new six-speed manual transmission, or Honda’s latest-gen Earth Dreams Technology Continuously Variable Transmission (CVT).

Safety

It’s business as usual for the Honda BR-V’s safety features, offering Vehicle Stability Assist (VSA) and Hill-Start Assist (HSA), amongst other items such as dual front SRS airbags, ABS with EBD, and front 3-Point Load Limiters with Pretensioner ELR Seat Belt and ISOFIX.

More To Come…

Again, these are all preliminary specifications that will cater to the Indonesian market, and while a Malaysian debut of the is likely on the cards, we’ll have to wait for further confirmation from Honda Malaysia itself.

The only thing left to share with you is that prices for the all-new Honda BR-V will range from Rp 230 to 265 million (RM68,347 to RM78,748 when directly converted).

Surprisingly, the BR-V’s pricing in Indonesia falls slightly under what is asked for the Honda HR-V, which is Rp 246 to Rp 270 million (RM73k to RM80k).

Our man on the ground in Indonesia is busy compiling a more insightful and compelling report from Indonesia, so stay tuned to Carlist.my for that!

Update: 2015 Honda HR-V Previewed Live, Possible Launch In Malaysia Come 2016