Honda confirmed the seventh-generation CR-V will launch as a hybrid-only model starting in 2028. The SUV will ride on a new platform and use Honda's new two-motor hybrid system, which the company says offers more power and efficiency than the current setup. A modular architecture will make the system lighter and cheaper to produce, and a new electric all-wheel-drive system will be available.
The CR-V hybrid has gained traction quickly in the U.S. market. The hybrid version became available in 2020 during a midcycle refresh of the fifth-generation model. Annual CR-V hybrid sales have grown nearly tenfold since then and now account for more than 50% of total CR-V sales. With a relatively minor price difference between hybrid and gas-only variants, Honda determined it makes sense to discontinue the conventional gasoline engine entirely.
Honda sells more than 400,000 CR-Vs annually in the U.S. The company announced a $3 billion manufacturing plant in Ohio that will build hybrids, along with gas and fully electric vehicles, with production starting in 2029. Honda plans annual capacity of 240,000 units at the facility.
Honda intends to introduce 15 new hybrids by 2030, most aimed at the American market. The seventh-generation CR-V will debut next year, in time for the model's 30th anniversary. A Detroit Auto Show debut in January appears likely, though Honda could choose Chicago in February or New York in March instead.