Honda Urban SUV concept revealed

This may be the most ambiguous concept sketch we've ever seen. But it's also the first glimpse we've got of Honda's new sub-CR-V crossover, dimly named the Urban SUV concept.

So, what do we know? Honda's miniscule two-paragraph press release tells us that it's a global concept model that combines a sporty and dynamic SUV profile with a spacious interior utilising Honda's centre-tank layout. Oh, and that it'll be introduced at the Detroit motor show on January 14.

From the sketchiest of sketches, we can make out that the scribblers have used the CR-V's kinked glasshouse shape but the rear light clusters are positioned where you'd normally find them on the boot, not the D-pillars. But, erm, that's about it.

Presumably, it'll be based on the Jazz platform (the automaker's just invested $800m in the Jazz production facility in Celeya, Mexico, so the sombrero fits), which means it'll be falling in line with the self-conscious small crossover set, currently populated by the Vauxhall Mokka and Nissan Juke.

But this segment's driven by words like "funky" and "cool", neither of which are in Honda's vocabulary at the moment. In reliability terms, it'll probably outlast religion, but d'you think the brand's hip enough to pull this out of the bag?