It’s been a while since the Honda Brio received a major model change. The current version made its world premiere in 2018 and landed in the Philippines a year later. The small hatchback then received a facelift in 2023, and not much has been down with it since.
With that, the current model is already hitting seven years old. It’s easily the oldest model in the local Honda lineup and is in dire need of a total redesign. Locally, the Toyota Wigo has dominated the segment, but it’s still wildly popular in Indonesia.
We were starting to wonder if we’ll ever see a third-generation model. With that, reports from Japan have said that Honda is, indeed, working on it.
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The report came from Japanese motoring publication MotorFan. They have stated that there is a possibility that the third-generation Honda Brio might be offered in Japan soon. It’s a huge deal given that the first two models were never offered there, mainly because it’s built for emerging markets such as the Philippines, Indonesia, and Vietnam, to name a few.
Other than that, not much more information was revealed. However, MotorFan reported that the redesigned Honda Brio might come with ‘some form of electrification.’ If so, it will be the first in its class to do so unless Toyota (or rather, Daihatsu) or Suzuki beat them to the punch.
What can we expect, then? There’s a good chance that it will use the same platform as the all-new Amaze and Indian-made Elevate that’s also sold in Japan as the WR-V. That chassis is then derived from the current Honda City, City Hatchback, Jazz, and HR-V, albeit shortened significantly.
As mentioned, electrification is possible. But if it were to be sold in Japan, we say it’s a must. It’s possible that it could be a mild hybrid version of the familiar 1.2-liter engine that powers both our local market Brio and Indian Amaze. At the same time, the non-electrified 1.2-liter will likely reside under the hood.
