Honda preview all-new HR-V SUV

The new model, which will be built on the same platform as the Jazz, carries the name as the first HR-V compact SUV, which sold more than 5,000 units during its three years on the Australian market more than a decade ago.

"It is fitting that the new small SUV will take the HR-V moniker as Honda enters the country's fastest growing segment with a red-hot competitor," said Honda Australia Director, Stephen Collins.

Collins expects the upcoming HR-V will provide customers with a wider choice in the SUV market, complementing Honda's medium SUV offering; the CR-V.

The original HR-V was one of the first small SUVs in Australia, and sold more than 5,000 units between 199 and 2001. The new HR-V will continue where the first left off and is sure to surprise and delight customers when it arrives in Australia in early 2015.

Dubbed the 'Urban SUV' in concept form, the production model of the new small SUV was launched as the Vezel in Japan in late 2013.