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Konichiwa from Tokyo! We’re at Honda’s 2013 Tokyo Motor Show stand, where the carmaker has just pulled the covers off its B-segment SUV based on the third-gen Honda Jazz.

Previewed by the Urban SUV Concept in January, the productionised car is called the Honda Vezel, and it’s claimed to fuse together the “dynamic qualities of an SUV, the elegance of a coupe and the functionality of a minivan”.

Japan will get both hybrid and petrol, as well as 2WD and 4WD versions – the 4WD hybrid model, pictured here, is equipped with the one-motor Sport Hybrid i-DCD system, which means it should share the same 110 PS/134 Nm 1.5 litre i-VTEC Atkinson-cycle engine, the same 29.5 PS/160 Nm electric motor, the same seven-speed twin-clutch ‘box and a lithium-ion battery.

More details about the Honda Vezel will be announced on December 19, and the vehicle will go on sale in its home market the following day. The burgeoning B-segment crossover brigade includes the Nissan JukeRenault CapturChevrolet TraxFord EcoSport and Peugeot 2008.

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