2012 Honda CRV website up and running

Shrawan Raja of the sites below was kind enough to send a 'heads up' to the new 2012 Honda CRV teaser site up and running here http://automobiles.honda.com/2012-cr-v/

http://indianautosblog.com
http://indianmotosblog.com
http://steeringnews.com
This is straight from Shrawan's site;

Here’s what the website says -

With a new design—both inside and out, new features and new possibilities, the 2012 CR-V will set a new standard for the class. As a top-selling crossover for over five years, expectations for the 2012 CR-V are high and we’re confident they will not only be met, but exceeded. Much more will be revealed over the next several months so be sure to sign up on this page to receive updates.

The new CR-V is a crucial model for Honda in India as the 20-30 lakh rupee crossover/SUV space is prone to a lot of tussling. The Chevrolet Captiva, BMW X1, Toyota Fortuner and the Renault Koleos are very desirable cars and feature-packed and stylish enough to take away limelight away from the Honda. The lack of a diesel engine is hurting its sales in India. In America however this won’t matter as the market share of diesel cars is not considerable.
It is said that the new CR-V (codename 2WS) will arrive with a 4-cylinder gasoline engine producing 180 – 220 horsepower. A hybrid variant is reportedly another development exclusive to the Japanese and American markets

The incoming model according to reports online will be marginally shorter (4,535mm x 1,820mm x 1,685mm as opposed to the current model’s 4,575mm x 1,820mm x 1,680mm (L*W*H respectively) ) and slightly more fuel economical.

Source:
http://indianautosblog.com/2011/06/2012-honda-cr-v-microsite-live#ixzz1QTwURi00

2012 Honda CRV and Volvo XC60 Similarities

Nice read, and shocking how similar the CRV and the Volvo XC60 really are....
This, we are told, is the new 2012 model year Honda CR-V, known internally at Honda as the 2WS. Yes, that wedge shaped rear does remind us of a Volvo XC60. According to the folks at Autoblog, the elongated D-pillar suggests a third row seat. We think that's quite a possibility given that the CR-V's main rival, the Toyota RAV4, comes with a third row seat option in the US. Although it needs to be noted that US market RAV4 is slightly longer than their Japanese / European market equivalents.

On critics saying that the CR-V apes too much of a Volvo XC60 - give the same brief to two different designers working separately, to design a mid size urban soft-roader SUV that appeals to the masses, I reckon that both will still come to a similar solution. Being a mass volume product, cost is imperitive, so tail lamps stretching horizontally across the tailgate will be ruled out due to assembly and wiring harness cost. The only way left to go is for the tail lamps to be stacked vertically. Fuel economy concerns will dictate that a gradually slopping rear is favoured to reduce aero-drag. Plus the side windows profile and overall silhoutte needs has to project a youthful-sporty appeal. Hence that pronounced shoulder line that rises upwards to the rear to give the illusion of motion. Thus explains similarity. Sure there are other ways to achieve the same, but one needs to consider the complexity of the design which will then affect the steel stamping, logistics (flat body panels are favoured as they take up less space) and assembly take time.

On this side of the world, punitive taxes on imported vehicles coupled by the fact that the aside from China, Japan is the only source for right hand drive Toyota RAV 4 meant that Honda's hold on the passenger car based / unibody SUVs is uncontested. Nissan X-Trail is a bit more utilitarian, and the local distributors of Nissan Edaran Tan Chong Motor have sort of dropped the ball with the second generation X-Trail. In its heydays, Nissan used to shift almost 300 units of the first generation X-Trail a month. Now it registers just barely above 100 units a month. So by default, it is going to be another winner. Those in the know however, who are brave enough to break away from the herd mentality will opt for the Hyundai Tucson / ix35. Brilliant car in our opinion. It's cheaper and backed by a 5-years warranty.

Powertrain for the 2012 CR-V will be carried over from the current generation model, meaning a 2.0-liter 4-cylinder and in some markets, a 2.4-liter as well. European markets will receive a diesel option. Expected public launch will be in the coming 2011 Tokyo Motor Show this December. Local market launch should start sometime around Q2 2012. That is of course, assuming that the Mayans were wrong about the world collapsing by 2012.

Source;
http://www.theautoindustrieblog.com/2011/05/honda-cr-v-2012-spyshot.html

Car and Driver: 2012 Honda CRV

2012 Honda CR-V Spy Photos - Future Cars

Honda continues its trend of gentle evolution with the next-gen CR-V.

BY JUSTIN BERKOWITZ, PHOTOGRAPHY BY ROBERT WHITLEY AND THE MANUFACTURER
May 2011

A fearless Car and Driver reader in Washington, D.C., snapped this picture of the next-generation Honda CR-V crossover, which will debut this fall. The vehicle looks ready for production, wearing its own sheetmetal (rather than the modified body of an existing Honda model) with the badge buried in tape on the tailgate.

Like other Japanese auto companies, Honda is as tight-lipped as can be about its future products. We’re left to use recent history and this photo to determine that the next CR-V will represent a gentle update to the current car, rather than a radical redo.

Figure on a naturally aspirated four-cylinder being the only engine available. It should displace 2.4 liters like today’s CR-V engine, and we expect it to make between 180 and 200 hp—although the number may be closer to the bottom end of that range. Fuel economy also should improve slightly; in front-drive spec, the current model is rated for 21 mpg city and 28 mpg highway. (All-wheel-drivers are rated for 21/27.)

If there are any major changes to the upcoming CR-V, it could be in the seating layout. Until now, every CR-V has been a strictly five-seat affair. Given the long rear overhang of the car in this photo, however, it looks like there just might be room for a small third row of seats for short-legged passengers. Toyota sells a three-row RAV4, but most others in the segment serve a maximum of five.

Few would call the CR-V in its present form a pulse-raising vehicle, but it’s a staple for Honda, offers good driving dynamics, and is a sensible choice for more than 200,000 Americans per year. Even without concrete details on the next-generation CR-V, we feel confident saying it will maintain the current car’s sales success. We expect the 2012 CR-V to debut at the Los Angeles auto show this November.

Source;
http://www.caranddriver.com/news/spied/11q2/2012_honda_cr-v_spy_photos-future_cars

Autoblog: Spy Shots: Is this 2012 Honda CR-V test mule packing a third row of seats?

http://www.autoblog.com/2011/05/18/is-this-2012-honda-cr-v-test-mule-packing-a-third-row-of-seats/

Out of respect to Brenda Priddy and Co, I supplied the link to the photo above, not much to look at right now, but I imagine that Brenda will be coming out with more soon.

Here's straight from Autoblog....
"While Honda may have to delay rolling out the successor to the current CR-V crossover, a shortage of parts resulting from the crisis in Japan doesn't mean it isn't still working on the project. And while we hadn't seen any prototypes running before, we've now received our first glimpse.

The test mule in this solitary spy shot is wearing a bra over the front end and some taping around the hind quarters, but is otherwise fairly naked for all to see. So what are we looking at? Heavily revised styling for a start, with tail-lights that extend up the D-pillar like the current model but with a rather Volvo-like shape to them. Our intrepid auto spies also suggest the extended rear end could be making room for a third row of seats (wonder what that D-pillar tape job is hiding?), but from where we sit, it looks mighty cramped.

Beyond the design, we can expect a slightly more powerful and more efficient version of the current model's 2.4-liter VTEC four. Expect production to begin in Ohio and Ontario before winter rolls back around."

Honda Will Launch the All-New 2012 CR-V this Fall

For those of you following my blog on a regular basis, this won't be news....
Honda, like your local artisanal bakery, has a habit of throwing away perfectly good stuff on a regular schedule. Except that while La Crise Cardiaque Belle is tossing out that morning’s croissants, Honda disposes of vehicles that are still near the top of the class. To wit: the present CR-V, introduced in 2006, still was good enough to take third place out of eight in a Car and Driver comparo with several much newer vehicles last year. It also continues to rack up sales for Honda, outselling Toyota’s RAV4 by almost 40 percent in March. But the proverbial palm flower crystal is now glowing in the CR-V’s hand, meaning that its time has expired. A new CR-V, Honda says, will join us in late 2011 as a 2012 model.

As for the rest of the details on the H’s upcoming soft-roader—you’re kidding, right? No companies play their cards closer to the vest than does Honda. Still, we can take a stab at a few likely details of the 2012 CR-V. Figure on a slight improvement from the current model’s EPA fuel economy rating of 21 mpg city/28 highway in two-wheel-drive form. Honda typically doesn’t jack up horsepower from generation to generation, and the brand-new Civic just launched with a five-speed automatic—not a six, like many of its competitors now pack—so don’t expect the CR-V’s power rating to leap beyond its present 180, either.

It certainly makes sense for the brass at Honda to stick with what works, but with so many of the company’s competitors in the process or rolling out outstanding compact crossovers, we’re not enamored with Honda’s conservative philosophy. Then again, after 22,000 CR-Vs found homes in March, maybe American consumers are.

Source;
http://blog.caranddriver.com/honda-will-launch-the-all-new-2012-cr-v-this-fall/

www.vtec.net: 2012 Honda CRV Update

Above are all of the speculating that I could find on the topic....
This was taken right from TOV;

"Last week we attended the 2012 Honda Civic press event and were able to spend a considerable amount of seat time driving the new Civic models (mostly the Si). We can't tell you anything about the Civics until next week, but while we were there, we picked up on a few tidbits of potential interest to our readers. First of all, it seems like the plan is for Honda to reveal the 2012 CR-V (due in the fall) next week at the New York Auto Show. Honda won't officially confirm this, though, and as such we do not know what form the CR-V reveal will take - our guess is that we will see a concept of some form, rather than a functional prototype.

Sub-TSX model, "Super sportscar"/don't-call-it-an-NSX-but-we-will-refer-to-it-as-the-next-NSX-anyway
Not much to report here except that the sub-TSX is still in the works, and it seems like the Autumn '11 launch is still set. The main thing we heard was that it would not be something like the current Acura CSX (Canadian model) - which is essentially a higher-level trimmed Civic. We have been hearing for a while that this vehicle will be offered in both gasoline and hybrid versions. A past source indicated to us that it would be "very edgy" and "very affordable", with an "aggressive IS350" sort of feel to it.

With regards to the range topping "super-sportscar", John Mendel offered last that Takanobu Ito has definitely committed to bringing it to market. Unfortunately our truth serum didn't have enough time to take full effect, as John was mum on any further details. So all we have is yet another "confirmation" that the project is a go, even though it's already been essentially "confirmed" 2 or 3 other times. "

Source;
http://www.vtec.net/news/news-item?news_item_id=973022

2012 Honda CRV updated rendition

Well the pic on top is the revised version, the front end is much more mainstream in my opinion, in fact I can say I actually like it. The pic below it is the first rendition, which I find hard to love. Either way, we won't know for sure until closer to the fall of this year.

Source;
http://www.woodyscarsite.com/2011/04/201213-honda-cr-v.html

Another 2012 Honda CRV pic

Well, the pic above was on Woody's Car Site;
http://www.woodyscarsite.com/2011/03/201213-honda-crv.html
obiously the pic is a shrunken version of the pic below.
I gotta say, I have seen this pic a few times now, and where there's this much smoke, usually there's fire, in other words, look for this to be a strong indication to what the 2012 CRV will indeed look like.

2012 Honda CRV Rendered Speculation pt2

This is another from Japan Car Design Corner, a really good site for Japanese car enthusists! Second time I have seen this pic, this would be something that I'd have to warm up to, the front end is not grabbing me. Anyway, they say style is subjective....

Source;
http://jp-cardesigncorner.blogspot.com/2011/01/new-honda-cr-v-coming-this-autumn.html

Update on the 2012 Honda CRV

Well, I have confirmation that the next generation CRV is indeed pretty much ready to go, however won't be released until the fall this year. Your guess is as good as mine as to what this incarnation is going to look like, however I have been told that this won't be a dramatic departure from the current formula. It would sure be nice to see the 2.2l diesel engine make it's way here, but as far as I know that's not even on the table.

Honda has been doing a great job of keeping this one under wraps, I have found a few drawings out there as to what the vehicle may end up looking like (Crosstour front end?), and when I asked a Honda Canada rep (who had seen the 2012) about the Crosstour front end they just looked at me and said 'nope'. That doesn't mean much to me, due to the fact that this is the same person that said the spyshots of the 2012 Civic a few months back were inaccurate (bang on).

Anyway, when I find out more, I'll let you know!

Source;
Honda Canada

Another 2012 Honda CRV Artistical Rendition

Stumbled across this in http://www.crvownersclub.com/ , definately looks like a Honda Accord CrossTour front and gives it an almost 'Mitsubishi-ish' look to it, not sure what to think about this one....

Rendered Speculation: 2012 Honda CRV

Not sure where they dug up this sketch, but it's here none the less....
Source;
http://cheapsportscars.blogspot.com/2011/01/new-honda-cr-v-coming-this-autumn.html

All-new Honda CR-V coming this Fall

Honda looks to be hanging its recovery hopes on the U.S. light truck market. According to Automotive News, North America was the only market to see sales growth for the company during the last quarter. The six-percent jump was fostered largely by the Odyssey and the CR-V, and Honda hopes to be able to keep up that momentum with a new version of the popular CUV. Reportedly set to debut by fall of this year, the 2012 CR-V will be a complete generational model change, though the company hasn't revealed too many details about the new vehicle just yet.

Globally, Honda has seen its sales fall off by around seven percent, with operating profit declining by 29 percent. The company hopes that focusing on light trucks will help boost the company's total U.S. volume to 1.28 million vehicles by the end of its fiscal year.

News of the next-generation CR-V goes a long way toward explaining why the 2010 and 2011 models received such skimpy updates. Engineers managed to pull another 14 horsepower from the engine and designers slapped on a slightly adjusted grille, but otherwise the vehicle has stuck pretty close to its 2009 recipe. Keep your ear to the ground for more information on the next-gen crossover.

Source;
http://www.autoblog.com/2011/02/07/report-all-new-honda-cr-v-coming-next-fall/

2012 Honda CRV Sketches

It seems that with all of the attention going to what Honda is doing with the next generation Civic, that the 2012 CRV full redesign is quietly flying under the radar, not much out there for info....but there are a couple of speculative sketches....

Source;
http://www.coroflot.com/public/image_file.asp?individual_id=164545&portfolio_id=4383669

Here's the older sketch that's been floating around for awhile....