Honda’s replacement for South Africa bound WR-V tipped for May 2021 unveiling

Having received a mid-life refresh in India just over two months ago, and confirmed for South Africa next year alongside the all-new City, which will once again bear the Ballade name, a new report from India has alleged that Honda could be dropping the WR-V for good in favour of the new ZR-V.

First mentioned back in March before the discovery of a trademark application pertaining to the moniker two months later, online site Rushlane has now alleged that the still-to-be-seen ZR-V will bear all around May next year, at which point the WR-V would cease to exist.

Set to ride on the same platform as the current Amaze, the ZR-V will provide Honda with a contender in the sub-metre four metre SUV segment, and therefore allow it to rival the likes of the Ford EcoSport, the Hyundai Venue and Kia Sonet, Nissan Magnite and the forthcoming Renault Kiger, as well as the segment dominating Maruti Suzuki Vitara Brezza and its Toyota Urban Cruiser offshoot.

In terms of styling, the ZR-V will allegedly draw heavily from the XR-V, essentially a restyled HR-V sold in China, and feature a choice of two petrol engines; the normally aspirated 1.5 and the turbocharged 1.0-litre, both already available in the City. A 1.2-litre petrol as well as the 1.5-litre DTEC turbodiesel from the WR-V will be utilised in India. As with the WR-V, the ZR-V will be offered with front-wheel-drive only and with a choice of either a manual gearbox or a CVT.

More details are set to be unearthed over the coming weeks and months.

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