Honda News: Honda CR-V Hybrid Might Be Coming to the U.S.

[William Maley]

At the Shanghai auto show, Honda introduced a hybrid version of the CR-V crossover. Not many details were released about it aside from it featuring the company's Sport Hybrid i-MMD two-motor hybrid system and would go on sale in China in the second half of this year. This got a few outlets wondering if Honda might bring the CR-V hybrid to the U.S. as the automaker has said they plan on electrify core models.

Green Car Reports reached out Honda's U.S. office to ask about this and here is Honda responded,

"We have already announced our intent to electrify core volume models, including light trucks.  CR-V will logically be a part of that, and we'll announce timing for the U.S. at a later date."

In other words, we're are planning to sell CR-V hybrid in the U.S. When it does arrive, it will face off between the Nissan Rogue Hybrid and Toyota RAV4 Hybrid.

Source: Green Car Reports

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[David]

AND where is GM's competitive response?

[ccap41]

They have a 1.6L turbo diesel in their Equinox that gets 40mpg and a Bolt that's full EV.

That diesel is probably more fuel efficient than a hybrid right now.

Edit: Sorry the Niro has three different ratings. Highest is 52/49 and the top trim has the lowest rating at 46/40. The middle rating is 51/46.

Edited April 21, 2017 by ccap41

[David]

26 minutes ago, ccap41 said:

They have a 1.6L turbo diesel in their Equinox that gets 40mpg and a Bolt that's full EV.

That diesel is probably more fuel efficient than a hybrid right now.

Edit: Sorry the Niro has three different ratings. Highest is 52/49 and the top trim has the lowest rating at 46/40. The middle rating is 51/46.

I get what your saying, but many will not see the Diesel or BOLT as a competitive product to the Hybrid CRV

[ccap41]

28 minutes ago, dfelt said:

I get what your saying, but many will not see the Diesel or BOLT as a competitive product to the Hybrid CRV

Agreed, but you can't place a competitor to every segment out there. There just aren't enough sales to go around.

[David]

1 minute ago, ccap41 said:

Agreed, but you can't place a competitor to every segment out there. There just aren't enough sales to go around.

True, Yet GM needs a PlugIn Hybrid and I see no reason not to use the VOLT system on a Terrain or Equinox. Better yet, increase the size of everything and do this to the Acadia and Traverse.

[surreal1272]

1 hour ago, dfelt said:

I get what your saying, but many will not see the Diesel or BOLT as a competitive product to the Hybrid CRV

Bear in mind that for all of Hondas success stories, hybrids are not one of them. 

[David]

34 minutes ago, surreal1272 said:

Bear in mind that for all of Hondas success stories, hybrids are not one of them. 

True, Honda I tend to not be thinking of and more focused on Toyota, BMW and MB.

[regfootball]

Gm's problem is that even with how good the bolt and bolt are, they are both too small for what ever would be volume sales. 

Electrics will need to become plug in to take off en masse. Gm's should really move plug ins to the larger core vehicles.  

[frogger]

Will probably outsell both the Accord and Civic for the first time in the US this year so it makes sense to have the additional powertrain option.

[smk4565]

Hybrid CR-V is a no brainer when it is probably going to be their top seller for the near future.   Really crossover market is where to go with hybrids because you have a larger vehicle that you can charge more for easier to sell a hybrid CR-V than a hybrid Civic.

Rumor is they are doing a 5 passenger Pilot too to slot in between CR-V and the current Pilot.

[riviera74]

Remember the 2-mode hybrid GM put in the Tahoe and Escalade? What happened to that?  Are they still building those?  Either way, they can refine that technology and then apply it to all the CUVs in GMs stable, not just the large SUVs.

The only reason Honda hybrids are not as successful is because Honda did not market an iconic, unique hybrid like Toyota did with the Prius.  The Insight might have been just as good or better, but all the buzz all went to the Prius.  What Honda should do is market and promote a great hybrid CUV (separate from the CR-V) to counter Toyota and make itself the hybrid maker of this decade. 

[David]

3 hours ago, riviera74 said:

Remember the 2-mode hybrid GM put in the Tahoe and Escalade? What happened to that?  Are they still building those?  Either way, they can refine that technology and then apply it to all the CUVs in GMs stable, not just the large SUVs.

The only reason Honda hybrids are not as successful is because Honda did not market an iconic, unique hybrid like Toyota did with the Prius.  The Insight might have been just as good or better, but all the buzz all went to the Prius.  What Honda should do is market and promote a great hybrid CUV (separate from the CR-V) to counter Toyota and make itself the hybrid maker of this decade. 

GM stopped building the Tahoe, Yukon and Escalade Hybrid and you rarely see them on the used market as they are excellent products. The first year was great, but GM then after the initial first marketing blitz did what they always do, stop advertising and of course the dealers do not advertise so the product dried up and sales went to next to nothing as only hard core people were following it and knew about it.

Sadly GM could have really ramped this up if they focused on refining it and continued to advertise the benefits, yet cheap gas also contributed to them not wanting to invest in a more expensive product compared to profits of an ICE version only.

Only now are more and more people asking about this.

[Drew Dowdell]

On 4/21/2017 at 2:16 PM, ccap41 said:

They have a 1.6L turbo diesel in their Equinox that gets 40mpg and a Bolt that's full EV.

That diesel is probably more fuel efficient than a hybrid right now.

Edit: Sorry the Niro has three different ratings. Highest is 52/49 and the top trim has the lowest rating at 46/40. The middle rating is 51/46.

Niro doesn't have AWD.

13 hours ago, riviera74 said:

Remember the 2-mode hybrid GM put in the Tahoe and Escalade? What happened to that?  Are they still building those?  Either way, they can refine that technology and then apply it to all the CUVs in GMs stable, not just the large SUVs.

The only reason Honda hybrids are not as successful is because Honda did not market an iconic, unique hybrid like Toyota did with the Prius.  The Insight might have been just as good or better, but all the buzz all went to the Prius.  What Honda should do is market and promote a great hybrid CUV (separate from the CR-V) to counter Toyota and make itself the hybrid maker of this decade. 

The technology from the 2-mode served as a learning point for the new Hybrid Drive in the Cadillac CT6. Though technically now a 4-mode hybrid, they are not marketing it as such.  There is no physical relation between the two technologies. They are similar in abstract concept only.