Honda to add three electrified SUVs in Europe in 2023

Honda says it will broaden its European range in 2023 with three new models. All three will be SUVs and all will be electrified, spanning everything from a conventional hybrid to a fully electric model.

The announcement came yesterday during the European unveiling of the 11th-generation Civic, where Honda also reiterated its commitment to electrification.

Looking further ahead, the Japanese manufacturer is targeting a position by 2030 where 40% of its sales in key markets are electric vehicles. That figure is set to rise to 80% in 2035, with 2040 marked as the global end date for selling models powered by internal combustion engines.

For now, Honda only sells the small Honda e as a 100% electric car, but 2023 will bring a significant boost to help meet those goals: a 100% electric B-SUV previewed by the e:Ny1 concept.

At first glance, it appears to be little more than the electric counterpart to the latest HR-V. It remains to be seen whether, when the e:Ny1 concept reaches the market in 2023, it will be folded into the line-up alongside the HR-V e:HEV (hybrid) or whether it will carry a separate name.

At this stage, no specifications have been released for this 100% electric B-SUV.

US HR-V will become a new C-SUV in Europe

Honda’s SUV offering in Europe will also be strengthened by another SUV, this time in the C-segment, home to models such as the Peugeot 3008, the Nissan Qashqai, and the new Renault Austral and Kia Sportage.

And, as with the larger CR-V and the smaller HR-V, it will be hybrid-only - or e:HEV in Honda’s terminology.

The brand has already shown a couple of sketches previewing the new arrival, but in the United States it will be introduced as early as next April as the new… Honda HR-V. Confused? We’ll explain.

For the first time, the HR-V name will be used on two different models. In the US, the new HR-V will be a larger SUV than the “European” HR-V (and than the Vezel in Japan, the name used there for the HR-V), and it will also come with a body featuring different lines.

Specifications for this new SUV have not yet been confirmed either, but it would not be surprising if it adopted the same hybrid set-up as the new Civic e:HEV, combining a 2.0 l Atkinson-cycle engine with two electric motors, rated at 184 cv and 315 Nm.

With this addition, Honda will have a contender aimed squarely at the heart of the C-segment - one of the most fiercely competitive parts of the European market.

New CR-V also as a plug-in hybrid

Finally, also in 2023, Honda will launch a new generation of the CR-V, its largest SUV available in Europe. The current generation was the first to debut Honda’s present hybrid system, and the next generation will continue to rely on this e:HEV solution.

The headline change is the arrival of a plug-in hybrid version, called e:PHEV, which will be the SUV’s first ever. For now, no specifications have been announced.

What we do know is the likely look of the next-generation CR-V, judging by the image below taken from the patent filing.

Only SUVs in Honda’s future?

Almost. As Honda’s representatives said yesterday at the Civic presentation, SUVs are the body style winning over buyers in the most important markets, so committing to this format - including in Europe - is unavoidable.

As a result, there will be only one more “car-shaped” new arrival from Honda by the end of 2023, beyond the Civic e:HEV just unveiled (due in autumn): the Civic Type R.

Not only is it the exception to the rule in terms of bodystyle, it is also the odd one out mechanically, as it will be the brand’s only model that will not be electrified.

The Japanese hot hatch will remain faithful to its 2.0 Turbo with more than 300 cv and a manual gearbox - either an ode to the past that made us fall for the brand in the first place, or an anachronism beside the rest of Honda’s contemporary range… you decide.

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