Honda will update its CR-V at Frankfurt show time this year, and is planning to bring it to Australia in the first half of 2010.
Very little details other than photographs of the popular SUV are available right now, but it is evident some work has been done at the front end to rectify the opinion-polarising grille design.
Where the current car faces the world with three different mouths -- upper, centre and lower air intakes -- the new model better integrates the upper two to look more like a conventional grille. The multi-layered approach of the current model is a bit of a Honda theme that appears in places such as the instrument panel on various models.
The new-look grille features a slightly wider upper mouth looking more like a part of the mid section, as well as a completely revised bumper section with inbuilt oval fog lights. Headlights, bonnet and general major pressing appear unaltered.
Honda Australia's National Public Relations Manager Mark Higgins was unable to clarify details on the facelifted CR-V. However he confirmed the revised model will arrive in the first half of 2010.
A bit of new-model kick could do no harm to CR-V sales: the model -- like most other compact SUVs -- is down on year-to-date sales and has been lagging behind most major competitors such as Subaru Forester and Toyota RAV4 for the past two years. Year to date sales this year put the Honda down 49.8 per cent on 2008 compared to Toyota RAV4 (down 18.4 per cent), Nissan X-TRAIL; (down 24.4 per cent) and Subaru Forester (up 6.9 per cent).
Read the latest Carsales Network news and reviews on your mobile, iPhone or PDA at www.carsales.mobi