Our neighbour has already announced readiness for chirpy crossover.

ANNOUNCEMENT of local market plans for the latest HR-V small sports utility seems likely soon, now that Australia has confirmed the car.

 Honda operations here and across the Tasman are closely aligned, and all past product announcements from our neighbour have almost always been repeated by the Auckland-based NZ operation, even though the specific model choices tend to be more restricted here.

 Just one of Australia’s three versions of the latest Civic hatch, for instance, represents here.

 With the HR-V, which builds off the same platform as the Jazz, the neighbour has settled on two front-wheel drive editions, an entry-level, petrol-only Vi X model and a flagship e:HEV L hybrid.

 Prices have yet to be shared but technical detail and model specifications are out.

 Both are powered by the same 1.5-litre four-cylinder petrol engine, however the latter picks up the same dual-motor hybrid system that features in the latest Jazz and also supplies with extra equipment.

 In Japan, the base engine makes 87kW and 142Nm, but the Australia market car is cited as having identical torque but 89kW. The engine feeds via a continuously-variable transmission. The hybrid sends a combined 96kW/253Nm to the front wheels. The previous HR-V ran a 104kW 1.8-litre engine.

 The shape retains a trademark styling cue, those 'hidden' rear door handles, but is now far more coupe-like.

 LED lights, 18-inch alloys, and adaptive cruise control come fitted as standard across the range, while the e:HEV L adds a powered tailgate, heated steering wheel, heated seats, and acoustic glass.

 There’s no talk of the export model featuring the domestic version’s 'Honda Digital Key' service that allows owners to unlock their car via their smartphone.

 As in the Jazz, a 9.0-inch touchscreen compatible with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto features.

 Standard autonomous safety systems include forward collision warning, collision mitigation, lane departure warning, lane-keep assist, adaptive cruise control, and traffic sign recognition. The hybrid also adds rear cross-traffic alert and an intelligent speed limiter.