2022 Honda HR-V Is Euro-Market Forbidden Fruit

 Don't worry, America, we're getting a market-specific next-gen HR-V for 2022.

The Honda Vezel is a car you see everywhere, but have probably never heard of before. Why? Because it's called the HR-V on our shores. Honda just took the wraps off of the new Vezel and it looks sweet. Too bad you can't have it. A Honda spokesperson confirmed to us that the new Vezel/Euro-spec HR-V you're looking at isn't the 2022 HR-V we're getting in the good ol' U.S. of A.

On the outside, the new Vezel looks pretty nifty. The lines are clean and taught, and it's notably more attractive than the current HR-V. The same is true for the interior. The steering wheel looks like it's straight out of the Honda-E (another foreign Honda product we'd love to see here) and the dashboard design is both minimal and clean. The HR-V that we get will likely wear a similar design but is not expected to be a carbon copy of the Euro-market model.

Honda says the interior volume of the new Vezel/HR-V matches that of its predecessor, which means cabin space should remain rather generous despite the compact SUV's diminutive exterior dimensions. Other niceties include fold-flat seats, a new air diffusion system that creates a "curtain of air" both alongside and above passengers, and high-end-looking materials throughout.

Power comes courtesy of a gasoline-electric hybrid powertrain. Honda's rather scant about details, but a similar setup powers the CR-V Hybrid. In that application, a 2.0-liter I-4 works with two electric motors—one to start the engine and another to power the SUV. The CR-V Hybrid makes 212 hp combined and nets an EPA-rated 40/35/38 city/highway/combined MPG.

Will that be the powertrain we get in the U.S.-market 2022 HR-V? Maybe. That said, if it does find its way under our HR-V's hood, it'd likely be joined by a traditional gas-powered engine option. Possibly the turbocharged 1.5-liter I-4 found in the likes of the Civic and Accord. We still aren't sure about the timing of the new HR-V, but we expect to see the U.S.-spec model before the end of the year.