2021 Honda HR-V rendered with more angular look

Notching its seventh year on the market, the Honda HR-V is ripe for a full makeover. The next generation of the B-segment crossover is likely just around the corner, and having seen the first spyshots of the car, resident Photoshop wizard Theophilus Chin thought it would be a good idea to create a close approximation of what it will eventually look like when it reaches showrooms.

As those spyshots showed, the new HR-V will be far more angular than today’s swoopy model. The glasshouse has been squared off and the trademark upswept shoulder line is no more, replaced by a completely straight line joining the head- and taillights. The funky hidden rear door handles remain, however.

Out front, the grille opening has been made even larger, now directly linked to the trapezoidal headlights and filled with horizontal bars. Theo’s render includes Honda’s “Solid Wing Face” chrome bar atop the lamps, but the bonnet shutline on the camouflaged prototype suggests that actual car won’t have it. Honda appears to be ditching this chrome bar on its latest models – the new Jazz doesn’t carry it and if the leaked patent images are any indication, neither will the next Civic.

The rear end will also look significantly different compared to the outgoing model, wearing slimmer taillights (Theo has added full-width items here) and a prominent tailgate garnish. The latter has pushed the number plate recess further down the tailgate, giving the car a look somewhat similar to the Mazda CX-30. Large turbine-style two-tone alloys complete the look of these renders.

The next HR-V will almost certainly be based on the new Jazz and City and will likely share the same hybrid powertrain option. That would be the Intelligent Multi-Mode Drive (i-MMD) system, which in those cars uses a 109 PS/253 Nm electric motor for motive power, juiced by a 98 PS/127 Nm 1.5 litre Atkinson-cycle engine that takes over at higher speeds.

Some parts of the power unit might be changed, however. Given that the SUV will likely be much heavier than its two siblings, it may instead be powered by a bigger motor from the Insight, producing 131 PS and 267 Nm of torque. As for the combustion engines, expect the HR-V to come with a variety of engine options to suit different markets, just like the current car. In Japan and Europe, for instance, the existing HR-V is available with a 1.5 litre VTEC Turbo engine, whereas Malaysia gets a 1.8 litre NA mill.