Honda Shuttle facelift debuts in Japan, stays there for now

Japanese car manufacturer Honda has officially introduced its facelifted Shuttle estate/wagon based on the same chassis as the Fit hatchback.

The refreshed model boasts new bumpers front and rear, fog lights implemented as LED strips, new taillights and wheels. The chrome-coated plaque on the trunk lid also looks different, and there is another chrome strip added at the bottom.

Novelty in the interior boils down to glossy-black air blower bezels, cup holders in the rear armrest, and leather-draped seats (available in the top trim version). The trunk area measures 570 liters (20.1 cubic feet), but expands to 1,141 liters (40.3 cu.ft.) with the seat backs folded down.

The new Honda Shuttle now ships with adaptive headlights in base. It also preserves all of the previously available systems, including automatic emergency brake, adaptive cruise control, traffic sign recognition, and lane control.

According to unconfirmed sources, the facelifted series has no new engines on offer. If true. this means that customers in Japan will be able to buy it with a 1.5-liter i-VTEC engine rated at 132 hp / 98 kW (mated to an IVT) or with a hybrid drivetrain, which includes a 1.5-liter gas engine rated at 110 hp / 82 kW and an electric motor contributing another 30 hp / 22 kW (linked to a 7x DCT). They will also be able to choose between FWD and AWD.

Prices will be announced on May 10, 2019. The pre-facelift version currently starts from 1,770,120 Japanese Yen. Honda still says it does not intend to make the model available outside of Japan.

The Shuttle is by far not the only Honda’s premiere in 2019. The company will soon introduce the XR-V SUV (essentially a slight variation of the HR-V) and the Envix sedan/saloon in China. Towards the end of the year, customers in Europe will be offered a new mini hatchback EV.

Photos: autoweek.nl