The new Honda Vezel SUV has been launched on the Chinese car market, giving Honda a brand new entry in the booming compact SUV segment. Price starts at a competitive 128.800 yuan and ends at 189.800 yuan. The Honda Vezel debuted as a semi-concept on the Beijing Auto Show in April.

Dash with orange panels looking much more happy than an all-gray example we saw earlier. Screen in the center console appears to be positioned quite far away from the driver. Start button sits in an odd place too. Seat design very 1980’s Europe. Interesting mix of things indeed.

The Honda Vezel is available with two four-cylinder patrol engines: a 131hp 1.5 and a 165hp 1.8, both mated to a 5-speed manual or a CVT. Size: 4294/1772/1605, wheelbase is 2610.

The Honda Vezel is manufactured in China by the the Guangzhou-Honda joint venture. It will soon compete against, among many others, the Honda XR-V SUV, which is basically the same car with another front and rear. The Honda XR-V will manufactured in China by Dongfeng-Honda, Honda’s other Chinese joint venture.

China thus will have the same car twice. This kinda madness is perfectly normal down here where most Western manufactures have various joint ventures with various Chinese car companies, and each always wants what the other one has.

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