Like the other Japanese auto giants, Honda too is very keen on impressing the Chinese audience. Following the territorial fight between Japan and China and the boycott of Japanese cars in the Chinese market, all Japanese auto makers are now having a massive competition among themselves to make a mark in the world’s largest car market in the world.
Honda’s offering to the Chinese auto market is its Concept C. The production version of the Honda C concept was unveiled at this year’s Shanghai Auto Show, as the Honda Crider. This new Honda car is supposed to cater to the huge demands in the fast growing D+ segment in the Chinese auto market. Thus, the new Honda Crider will be placed between the Accord and the Civic in Honda’s model portfolio.
The new Honda Crider charmed everyone at the 2013 Shanghai Auto Show with its stunning looks and design and seems to deserve its name ‘Crider’ that is derived from the amalgamation of the two the words “Criteria” and “Dream”.
The new Honda Crider is a joint venture between Honda and Guangzhou. The Crider is not expected to be a China exclusive model and is hoped to be exported to other international auto markets as well.
Under its hood, the Honda Crider will be powered by a 1.8 liter petrol engine that will be mated with two transmission options, namely a 5 speed manual as well as an automatic gearbox. The Crider is also expected to get a 2.0 liter engine sometime later. Further engine specifications are not available at present.
The new Honda Crider closely follows Honda C Concept and is decked up by an all chromed front grill to attract the Chinese consumers. The Crider also shows off its rather bold headlights which apparently has got an overdose of LEDs. The overall looks of the car is quite appealing and have similar characteristics with certain Honda sedans. The Honda Crider has a steeply sloping roofline which further enhances the sporty design language of the car. However, at the back of the car, the Crider sports a wrap around the tail lights that would probably not attract everyone. But then again, the Chinese audience on whom the car focuses on may after all take a liking for it.
The Honda Crider looks sporty, bold and is very well proportioned. The car’s design is visibly based on the Honda Concept C, as it is really well presented in the production version.
Apart from the exterior looks of the car, the spy shot of the interiors have also been procured. Now the new Honda Crider’s interiors are also revealed. According to the spy pictures, the dashboard has a big touchscreen interface and the steering looks similar to the new CR-V. In few words, the interiors of the car really match up to the sporty exteriors.
The Honda Crider will hit the Chinese auto market with a base price of 130,000 yen and will lock horns primarily with the Hyundai Mistra also known as the Sonata Lite.
