Honda SUV RS Concept
The SUV has a modern design

Honda has unveiled the SUV RS Concept at the 2021 Gaikindo Indonesia International Auto Show (GIIAS), today.

The concept previews a compact SUV which will be introduced by Honda in the region in the near future. According to the firm, the car has been designed to have a ‘fun character, pleasant driving performance and sophisticated technology’.

Developed by Honda R&D Asia Pacific Co., Ltd. and the Honda team in Indonesia, the SUV RS concept has a striking radiator grille flanked by sleek headlights, prominent lower air intake and skid plate, up front.

Honda SUV RS Concept Side
The car’s interior was not shown

When viewed from the side, the car’s raked front and rear windscreens grab one’s attention immediately. Also, the sharply angled C-pillars, strong character line, wheel arch cladding and high ground clearance, give it a purposeful stance.

Sporting wraparound and full-width LED tail lights, the Honda SUV RS Concept has a short boot lid, roof spoiler and a deep bumper with a skid plate at the rear.

In all, the concept vehicle that sports a dual tone paint scheme with red accents, has sharp and solid lines in the right places and traditional crossover elements.

Honda SUV RS Concept Rear
Those tail lamps look rather good

This is the first time Honda Indonesia has featured an ‘RS’ variant of an SUV model, indicating that Honda wants to imbue the crossover with sporty nature. At present, Honda Indonesia sells RS variants of the Brio, Mobilio, City hatchback and new Civic.

Do note that Honda has not revealed the concept vehicle’s specifications until now and it is hard to surmise the car’s length due to the unique way in which it is shaped.

What can be said with some amount of certainty is that the compact crossover will sport the same powertrains as the City sold in Indonesia.

Front Profile
It has borrowed some elements from the City and HR-V

If it is indeed based on the City, then it could well be very similar to the compact SUV model (internally code-named 31XA) that Honda is developing for the Indian market.

Expected to be introduced by the end of 2023, the India-specific Hyundai Creta rival, likely to be named Elevate, should come in both 5- and 7-seat versions.