Honda bets on hybrids with 13 new models and the “most efficient internal combustion engine in the world”

Fully electric vehicles are not being welcomed in the way many expected. Honda has become the latest manufacturer to take a step back and adjust its approach, putting more emphasis on the technology that is gathering pace: hybrids.

Between 2027 and 2030, the brand will introduce 13 new hybrids which, it says, will help it navigate this transition phase on the route to fully electric mobility. Honda still maintains that electric cars are the ideal solution for achieving long-term carbon neutrality.

This new generation of hybrids is not a completely new announcement - it had been flagged before - but we now know they will feature what Honda calls the “most efficient internal combustion engine in the world”.

More efficient e:HEV system

Many details are still under wraps, including which model will debut the new powertrain, but we do know it will come in two versions: 1.5 litres and 2.0 litres. These are exactly the same displacements found in the current Jazz and Civic.

It remains unclear whether these are entirely new units or updated versions of today’s engines, but Honda is adamant about one point: they will be significantly more efficient.

If we look purely at petrol engines, efficiency is not an easy claim to own. Toyota’s Dynamic Force engine family - 2.0 litres and 2.5 litres - currently posts the highest declared thermal efficiency: 40% or 41% when used as part of a hybrid system. Toyota is already working on a new generation of engines that will be more efficient, while also delivering higher performance.

Nissan, meanwhile, is developing a petrol engine with 50% thermal efficiency - well beyond today’s diesel engines - but it will operate only as a generator in hybrid systems, meaning it is not connected to the wheels. That specific role, which restricts operation to a narrower (most efficient) rev range, is one of the key measures enabling the 50% figure.

Honda’s situation is different. Its hybrid setup is series-parallel, which means that in certain driving conditions the combustion engine provides propulsion - will that remain true in the next generation?

To lift efficiency, Honda says these engines will be able to run at peak efficiency across a broader rev band. As an example, the Japanese brand says the 1.5-litre unit will deliver its maximum torque across a rev range expanded by 40%, without harming performance. Honda insists it will have “the best thermal performance on the market”.

Cost reductions are a certainty

Alongside the more efficient petrol engine, Honda also says the electric unit within the hybrid system will be lighter and more compact than current versions. On top of that, this new hybrid system will debut on a new platform, which should cut vehicle weight by 90 kg. Overall, Honda is targeting a 10% reduction in fuel consumption.

There are further assurances, too. From a manufacturing perspective, Honda says the 13 models planned for 2027 to 2030 will be cheaper to build, thanks to sharing at least 60% of their components and cutting production costs of the new hybrid system by 30%.

Even after revising down its planned investment in electric vehicles, Honda still views battery-electric models as an essential part of its future strategy.

For now, however, hybrids are the technology the brand intends to use to get through this “transition period” on the way to full electrification.

As Honda Chief Executive Officer Toshihiro Mibe stated, the aim is to offer a broad and competitive hybrid range, while also preparing the ground for the mass adoption of electric cars.