Following the industry’s bigger push towards smaller luxury, Acura is considering a new compact crossover that would parallel Honda’s upcoming Fit-based CUV.
The Fit-based Honda Vezel and is already on sale in Japan after it made its debut at last year’s Tokyo Motor Show. The Vezel is expected to hit North America later this year, but most likely under a different name.
The Vezel is essentially a subcompact version of the CR-V, and if Acura goes through with rebadging it, the luxury CUV would slot below the RDX. According to Automotive News, Acura is planning to sell it in China by 2016, but is unclear of additional markets. Naohisa Morishita, the Vezel’s chief enginer, thinks there is a market for it across the globe.
There definitely is, especially considering Audi, BMW and Mercedes’ push towards smaller crossovers in North America. Audi and Mercedes-Benz will bring the Q3 and GLA, respectively, to North America this year. Meanwhile, BMW has sold its X1 in North America since 2009.
