Honda introduces hybrid CR-V... in China

One of the things that has surprised us is that the Honda CR-V, a fast-growing crossover, doesn’t have a hybrid version. That’s no longer the case, at least for the Chinese. Debuting at Auto Shanghai, Honda has a new hybrid CR-V that will likely make it to our shores.

Information is lacking on the car, since it’s a foreign-market vehicle designed to meet the needs of the Chinese, but it is an important vehicle for them. China’s rapid industrialization has left the air there dirty, to say the least. Greener cars will need to hit the marketplace, and the hybrid CR-V is one of those vehicles.

“In China, we are required to attain the world’s top-level targets in all three areas of making emissions cleaner, improving fuel economy and electrifying our products.” – Yasuhide Mizuno, President Honda Motor (China) Investment Co.

It is unlikely that this vehicle will stay in the Chinese marketplace considering both the Toyota RAV-4 and fast-selling Nissan Rogue both currently offer hybrid options for their vehicles for sale in the United States. We wouldn’t be surprised if we see the American version of the CR-V hybrid debut this fall in Los Angeles.

View Press Release

Honda Exhibits World Premiere of All-new CR-V Hybrid SUV at Auto Shanghai 2017

SHANGHAI, China, April 19, 2017 – Honda today exhibited the world premiere of its all-new SUV model, CR-V Hybrid, at Auto Shanghai 2017 (The 17th International Automobile & Manufacturing Technology Exhibition, Press days: April 19-20, 2017, Public days: April 21-28, 2017).

Equipped with the Honda Sport Hybrid i-MMD^* two-motor hybrid system, the CR-V Hybrid realizes both dynamic driving performance and excellent environmental performance at the same time. Moreover, the CR-V Hybrid comes loaded with a full complement of features including the Honda SENSING suite of advanced safety and driver-assistive technologies. The CR-V Hybrid is scheduled to go on sale in China in the second half of 2017 from Dongfeng Honda Automobile Co., Ltd.

In addition to the CR-V Hybrid, Honda will continue to accelerate introductions of new products toward electrification. In 2018, Honda is planning to begin sales of a new electric vehicle which will be developed as a China-exclusive model.

* i-MMD: Intelligent Multi-Mode Drive

CR-V Hybrid

Other models on display at the Honda booth include the China premiere of the Honda NeuV, a concept car for an artificial intelligence (AI) equipped EV commuter; the all-new CR-V equipped with a 1.5-liter turbo engine, which will be added to the lineup in the second half of 2017 (from Dongfeng Honda); the UR-V, the large-sized SUV model launched in March of this year (from Dongfeng Honda); and the Avancier 240 Turbo equipped with a 1.5-liter turbo engine, which also went on sale in March of this year (from GAC Honda).

■	Takahiro Hachigo, President, Chief Executive Officer and Representative Director of Honda Motor Co., Ltd.: “With a goal to make two-thirds of our global automobile sales from electrified vehicles by around 2030, Honda will pursue the development of electrification technologies more speedily. In China, where dynamic change is happening, we will continue proposing new forms of mobility products by utilizing our global and local development capability to the fullest extent and quickly introducing new technologies such as electrification and intelligence technologies.”

■	Yasuhide Mizuno/ President of Honda Motor (China) Investment Co., Ltd.: “In China, we are required to attain the world’s top-level targets in all three areas of making emissions cleaner, improving fuel economy and electrifying our products. We want to attain the targets faster and at a higher level than anyone else, and we want to do so with our original technologies. Toward this end, we have decided to introduce a China-exclusive electric model in 2018, and we will further accelerate our initiatives in electrifying our products. Including the introduction of CR-V Hybrid, which we unveiled today, we will continue accommodating the needs of our Chinese customers by pursuing the electrification of mobility products in China speedily.”