Honda has released the first official photos of the second-generation Breeze SUV which will go on sale in China before the end of the year with prices starting from 185,900 yuan (PKR 59.89 lac). It will replace the first-gen model that was launched in October 2019.
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Breeze that is built in China by GAC-Honda is basically a restyled Honda CR-V, the latter is produced by the Dongfeng-Honda joint venture. An automobile manufacturer in China can have joint venture with more than one Chinese partner, and each Chinese partner can have collaboration with more than one international auto maker. This thus creates an interesting mix of vehicles when two different ventures intend to produce the same car, resulting in spawning of new product which is technically the same but visually different than the other.
In terms of dimensions, the new Honda Breeze has the same wheelbase of 2,700 mm as that of CR-V, and is the same when it comes to width (1,866 mm) and height (1,691 mm). However, the Breeze is marginally longer at 4,716 mm compared to the CR-V that is 4,703 mm.
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Available as a 5- or 7-seater, the new Honda Breeze features distinct styling cues to differentiate it from the CR-V. These include a much smaller front grille, different LED headlamps and a new bumper with a large lower intake and more pronounced creases. The rear gets horizontally-mounted LED taillights connected to vertical aero bit of the roof spoiler. While the exterior is distinctive, the interior is almost a carbon copy of the CR-V.
Available equipment includes a digital instrument cluster display, dual-zone climate control, Honda Connect 3.0 with support for over-the-air (OTA) updates, a 12-speaker Bose sound system as well as a comprehensive Honda Sensing suite of advanced driver assistance systems (adaptive cruise control with traffic jam assist, lane keep assist, blind spot monitoring, autonomous emergency braking and more).
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The Breeze has a lone engine on offer, that is a 1.5L turbocharged four-cylinder unit that produces 190 hp and 243 Nm, and comes paired to a CVT gearbox. The vehicle is available in either front- or all-wheel drive configuration with a plug-in hybrid variant expected to be added to line-up in the future.
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