The 2023 Honda CR-V will follow its smaller HR-V and Civic siblings in adopting even more neat, restrained styling.
What appears to be an image from a patent filing depicting the next CR-V has been published online, ahead of the crossover’s expected reveal later this year.
The image appeared on the Facebook page of Vanhoe Rage, who also published patent images of the redesigned HR-V ahead of its launch.
It’s unclear which version of the CR-V this image depicts. Honda sells two versions of the current car in China, with the second – called Breeze – featuring slightly different front and rear styling.
The patent image shows a squared-off grille, with what appears to be a chrome bar running across the top and into the headlight clusters.
The rather clean flanks of the car are punctuated by a single, sharp crease running from the headlights to the tail lights.
Though there are no side or rear views of the CR-V, the tail lights look to be roughly the same height as the current model’s and run to the top of the tailgate, as is CR-V tradition.
Though there are no interior images available, expect a more rectilinear dashboard with a tablet-style touchscreen and hidden air vents as with the redesigned Civic and HR-V.
Honda is also following Volvo in rolling out a new infotainment system running on Android Automotive, and plans to introduce its first vehicle with the new system this year.
2022 HR-V 
2022 Civic
Should that find its way into the new CR-V, it’ll represent a significant leap in technology over the current car.
Expect a larger touchscreen as well. The current car uses a 7.0-inch unit, but the new Civic comes standard in Australia with a 9.0-inch screen. A 10.25-inch digital instrument cluster is also offered in the Civic overseas.
Whether the CR-V will grow much in footprint is unclear.
The current generation model is one of the few in the mid-sized SUV segment to offer a third row of seating, though like the Mitsubishi Outlander and Nissan X-Trail these seats are designed for small children and occasional use.
Pictured: Current Breeze 
Pictured: Current CR-V
Current Australian-market CR-Vs are sourced from Thailand, though Honda Australia has switched to Japanese-sourced Civics and plans to do the same for the redesigned HR-V.
The current CR-V is assembled in numerous countries, including Japan and the US.
It’s unclear if the new CR-V will ride a new platform or a heavily updated version of its existing one, as with the Civic. We also don’t yet know what’ll power the CR-V.
Most Australian-market CR-Vs use a 1.5-litre turbocharged four-cylinder petrol motor making 140kW of power and 240Nm of torque.
Only the base Vi uses a 2.0-litre naturally-aspirated four-cylinder producing 113kW of power and 189Nm of torque, with both engines mated with a continuously-variable transmission (CVT).
In other markets, including Europe and the US, the CR-V is offered with a 2.0-litre four-cylinder hybrid powertrain with 158kW of power and 315Nm of torque.
Diesel engines are also available in some Asian markets, while Honda also recently revealed a plug-in hybrid variant for China.
The redesigned HR-V and CR-V may be joined by a third SUV in the local Honda line-up.
Honda Australia has said it’s considering introducing an unspecified third SUV.
One possibility is the ZR-V, an upcoming SUV previewed by last year’s SUV RS Concept and a potential rival to the likes of the Mazda CX-3.
The ZR-V nameplate was trademarked locally in 2020.
MORE: Everything Honda CR-V
