Posted on Wednesday, September 21, 2011 by Unknown
There's no more hiding for the next generation of the Honda CR-V as we just got our hands on the official design fillings fully revealing the shape and styling of the Japanese firm's new compact SUV well ahead of its world premiere at the Los Angeles Auto Show.
As predicted, sans the smaller wheels and some body trim options such as the protection plate under the front bumper, there aren't any other noteworthy changes over the Honda CR-V study teased with a single photo back in July.
The exterior design is clearly an evolution of the current model's theme albeit with a less complicated front-end styling and a sharper looking window line.
Given that, during the unveiling of a pre-production study of the brand-new CR-V this summer, Honda said the production model will go on sale in the United States by the end of 2011; chances are we will see the compact SUV making its world premiere in about two months' time at the L.A. Auto Show in November.
But before that happens, here are some fresh spy pictures of the production CR-V snapped during testing in Europe.
While the engine lineups will differ, we don't expect any noteworthy styling changes between the North American and European market versions of the Japanese company's popular SUV.
Here are some snapshots of the next Saab vehicle to help justify the brand's survival, the 9-4X crossover. Seen here in production guise before its LA Auto Show debut in November (unless Saab surprises us in Paris...), what we've got is a nice, safe, smart step in the right direction for the brand. Read more »
During Buick's Los Angeles Auto Show press conference for the unveiling of the Opel Insignia-based 2011 Regal saloon, the company's product marketing director, Craig Bierly, showed a teaser sketch of the next addition to the Buick range, a premium compact sedan.
"And now, I have more exciting news to share with you; the first public showing of a rendering that includes our entire future sedan portfolio," Bierly said at the presentation.
"In addition to the new Regal, which you see on your right, you see our LaCrosse in the center and at the far left, an all-new premium compact sedan with the styling and craftsmanship of Enclave and LaCrosse plus the European-inspired driving dynamics of the Regal - and at a price that will make this Buick our new entry point to the brand.
"Is Buick's transformation complete? No … but we believe we're making steady progress," Bierly added.
While Bierly did not give out any specific details on the car, it's safe to assume that, like the Chinese market 2011 Buick Excelle hatchback, the four-door saloon will also be based on the new Opel Astra (sedan version), which shares the same Delta II platform with the new Chevrolet Cruze.
Our spies have already captured Buick's compact sedan testing in Germany, though at the time, it wasn't clear if GM was developing the car exclusively for China or also for the North American market.
In the States, the new Buick compact sedan will most likely be offered with a similar engine range to the Cruze including a 1.4-liter turbocharged four-pot, and quite possibly, the Astra's more powerful 1.6-liter turbo unit with 180 ponies.
As predicted, sans the smaller wheels and some body trim options such as the protection plate under the front bumper, there aren't any other noteworthy changes over the Honda CR-V study teased with a single photo back in July. 
