Spurred by competition, Honda might just join the compact SUV brigade!

Come 2012, Ford India will give Indians a taste of the Fiesta based crossover, called the Ford Ecosport Crossover. India will also see the launch of a compact SUVs from the Renault and Nissan stable, in the form of the Renault Duster and a yet to be named SUV based on the Duster from Nissan. Toyota and Volkswagenare also said to be interested in their own versions of compact SUVs and Crossovers for global markets. Joining this growing brigade of automakers who are exploring the compact SUV and crossover space could be Honda, which seems to be inspired by the success of the Nissan Qashqai crossover.

Nissan Qashqai Compact Crossover

While nothing else remains known at the moment except from a passing comment by Honda CEO, Takanobu Ito, that seems to be enough to get the tongues wagging. Here’s what Ito said about Honda mulling a Crossover to be pitted in the Nissan Qashqai’s segment,

We are very envious that the Qashqai from Nissan is selling very well so we are thinking about doing something like that.

This model might be targeted mainly at the European market with a view to increase Honda’s marketshare. With Honda’s 1.6 Liter 120 Bhp-300 Nm diesel engine to debut in the Civic in 2013, Honda might have a ready engine for the Honda Compact Crossover if it sees the light of the day. A diesel engine should certainly be in Honda’s scheme of things as the Qashqai is offered with one.

With the compact SUV and crossover market set to boom in markets like India, we might just see Honda firming up plans to build the Compact Crossover sooner than later. In India particularly, compact crossovers could be preferred by car buyers over equivalent sedans as crossovers ride higher and are more adept at tackling bad roads, apart from the bigger presence they have. Expect the Indian compact SUV and crossover segment to see explosive growth in the coming years as more and more automakers begin targeting this segment.

Via AutoNews

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