Honda stunned car industry observers in Beijing by announcing the establishment of a new standalone brand aimed exclusively at the Chinese market.

Li Nian is modelled on Toyota’s successful North American brand, Scion, and is planned to support a range of youth-orientated models – the first of which is this five-door mini-SUV that is planned to go on sale in 2010.

Based on the same front-wheel drive platform as the Jazz, its edgy styling, which some show goers speculated was inspired by the recently unveiled Ford Fiesta, was created at Honda’s Chinese design studio and is said to set the tone for other future models.

There is no official word on specifications, Autocar has it on good authority the new Honda will use a 1.8-litre, four-cylinder petrol engine.

Li Nian was created in a joint venture with Honda’s long-time partner, the Guangzhou Automobile Group. Together they have spent heavily to create the infrastructure to support the new line-up, which is also expected to include both city cars and small hatchbacks by the middle of next decade.

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