Remember last year’s impressive Honda C-Concept saloon? Well, here’s what happens when reality kicks in for designers, engineers and managers: the production-ready CRIDER, which made its world premiere at this weekend’s Auto China 2013 in Shanghai.

To say that Honda water downed the styling of the C-Concept would be the understatement of the year, though, if you try hard enough, you might find some common ground between the two cars (see gallery after the break).

Developed in cooperation with Honda’s local joint venture Guangqi Honda Automobile, the CRIDER targets the very competitive mid-sized segment in China, and is said to fuse an international design language with Chinese cultural elements, and in particular, “an image of a dragon”.

According to Honda, the sedan model features an “energetic exterior design and dynamic performance that exceeds other vehicles in its class”.

The CRIDER will go on sale in China this June with a selection of four-cylinder gasoline engines, with further details to be released closer to launch.

PHOTO GALLERY

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2012 HONDA C-CONCEPT Honda-Concept-C-125[2]Honda-Concept-C-4[2]Honda-Concept-C-3[2]Honda-Concept-C-2[2]Honda-Concept-C-1[2]