Honda announced it will present a new CBR300R sportbike at the Oct. 17-20 China International Motorcycle Trade Exhibition (CIMAMotor) in Chongqing, China. A new global model, the CBR300R will be produced in Thailand, likely using the same production lines for its predecessor the CBR250R which it will likely replace in most markets. The CBR300R will provide Honda with a direct competitor with a similar displacement for the Kawasaki Ninja 300.

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Official specifications for the 2014 Honda CBR300R will be revealed later, (UPDATE: They’re now up!) but we can see gleam some details from the images Honda released. The most notable difference between the CBR300R and the CBR250R is the headlight design. Instead of the 250’s Y-shaped headlight, the 300 gets twin lights resembling the bigger CBR models including the CBR500R.

The fairing is also differs from the 250 but retains the openings on the sides. The new fairing design also incorporates the bellypan whereas the 250 and 500 models use distinctly separate panels.

As for the engine, we’ll have to wait for official information, but it’s likely a larger version of the CBR250R’s single-cylinder engine; Honda invested a lot of research and development into that powerplant, and it makes sense for Honda’s engineers to simply increase the displacement rather than design a whole new powerplant. The exhaust however appears similar to that of the CBR500R.

Labels on the front fender indicate the CBR300R will be available with ABS.

[Source: Honda]