Honda has revealed its hybrid Accord and Acura RDX prototypes, which will debut the company's next-generation hybrid system and launch globally within two years. The new hybrid system aims to reduce costs by more than 30 percent, while also improving fuel efficiency by more than 10 percent. Honda also says some of the efficiency gains can be tied to a newly developed electric all-wheel-drive unit.
The prototypes will preview Honda's upcoming next-generation hybrid vehicles, which it will begin to release as early as 2027. Honda says the new hybrid system will be shared between compact and mid-size models as part of the effort to keep costs down. The company also announced plans to introduce 15 models globally within the next three years, some of which will be updates to existing nameplates, while others will be entirely new models.
View Price on AmazonHonda's multi-billion-dollar bet on its 0-series didn't pan out, but the company isn't planning to let all that investment go to waste. Instead, Honda is planning to repurpose some of the architectures and components from the 0-series in the upcoming hybrids, said Honda President and CEO Toshihiro Mibe. The automaker will also direct its Ohio-based assembly plant to dedicate all surplus capacity to internal-combustion and hybrid vehicles, while all of its North American facilities will be tooled to produce hybrid models.
Despite taking a measured approach to its EV rollout, Honda's electrification plan is currently dead in the water. The automaker just reported its first annual loss since becoming a publicly traded company in 1957. Between economic uncertainty and wavering American interest in electric models, Honda is moving its eggs into the proverbial hybrid basket.
Source: caranddriver.com
