It’s official, Honda will be marketing a hybrid Civic in Canada for the first time since 2015.
The manufacturer confirmed today the arrival of this model by giving a little more details on the next stage of its electrification strategy, which involves hybrid versions of its best sellers.
Honda will first bring an all-new CR-V hybrid to market this year and an all-new Accord hybrid thereafter. Remember that the compact SUV and Honda’s midsize sedan (the second already offers a hybrid option) will be completely redesigned for the 2023 model year.
The new Civic hybrid will arrive a little later, but Honda doesn’t specify when exactly. In fact, that’s all we know for sure at the moment. Expect a nearly identical design to the regular Civic, though, and different technology from the hybrid Civic launched in Europe.
Photo: Honda
Having abandoned the Insight, Honda no longer has a direct rival to the Toyota Prius and Corolla hybrid as well as the Hyundai IONIQ and Elantra hybrid. Let’s not forget the elimination of the Clarity.
According to the company, future hybrid versions will eventually account for more than half of each model’s sales.
“Increased production of hybrid electric vehicles is essential to Honda’s greenhouse gas reduction and to meeting our sales targets of 100% zero-emission vehicles in North America by 2040, as well for achieving carbon neutrality in our global operations by 2050,” said Jean Marc Leclerc, President and CEO of Honda Canada. Our recent investments of $1.38 billion to upgrade our Honda of Canada Mfg. (HCM) in anticipation of our electrified future is another step towards realizing these goals, as HCM will be the primary North American plant for building the all-new 2023 CR-V Hybrid.”
As for 100% electric vehicles, which should account for 40% of Honda’s North American sales by 2030, Honda will launch the Prologue SUV in 2024, jointly developed with General Motors and based on the Ultium platform. Honda will then present a series of electrified vehicles starting in 2026, which will be based on its new “e: Architecture”.