Honda CR-V (2012) first official pictures

Honda has shown a solitary picture of the new CR-V crossover. This is a concept car of the 4x4 that will be shown at the Orange County International Auto Show in Anaheim, California in September 2011.

It's clearly not far removed from what will become the fourth-generation Honda CR-V, which is due to go on sale in the US by the end of 2011 and in Europe by autumn 2012.

More of the same, judging by this new photograph. The style can be best be described as more aggressive, with pointier, more angular lines and a very wedgy D-pillar – like a BMW Hoffmeister kink on acid.

Honda UK is saying very little about the new CR-V, and it's unclear at this stage if it has five or seven seats. We half wonder if that long rear overhang doesn't include a third row of occasional seats, like Nissan's Qashqai+2 or Land Rover Discovery.

No confirmation yet. The current CR-V, Civic and Jazz are built in Swindon, but there's no word yet on where the next-gen CR-V crossover will be built.

Insiders say it will follow the same formula as today's car: a crossover aimed at on-road dynamics and green credentials ahead of outright mud-plugging.

The current-gen CR-V was one of the first mid-sized SUVs to champion the low-CO2 message. It's a recipe that's gone on to dominate the compact crossover market.

The CR-V is sold globally in 160 countries. In the UK it has in fact dominated the 4x4 market in some months, peaking at 20,000 a year in 2007. Towards the end of its life, sales have now fallen back to some 13,000 annually.

By Tim Pollard