Honda has revealed its new small car for emerging markets at the Thailand International Motor Show.
Called Brio, the new model draws heavily on the styling of the New Small Concept, a prototype revealed at the Delhi motor show back in January. The five-door hatch is smaller than Honda’s current baby, the Jazz, at 3.6m long and 1.68m wide. It should line up as a rival for the Kia Picanto, Hyundai i10 and Suzuki Alto.
See the official pics of the new Honda Brio
Honda has not revealed any engine details for the car, but it’s thought to use the same 1.2-litre powerplant as the base-model Jazz.
The launch venues for both the concept and this production version are no coincidence, because the Brio is designed for the Indian and Thai markets. It will be produced in each of the countries, with a high level of local content in each.
Honda has no plans to bring the Brio to Europe, let alone the UK. It is understood to have been built to a cost, and makes do without many of the airbag features that would be necessary for European crash tests.
