Latest news with #0Series
NZ Autocar
08-06-2025
- Automotive
- NZ Autocar
New more efficient hybrids coming for Honda
Honda is developing new hybrid models powered by what it says is 'the world's most efficient' combustion powertrain. It is in part a response to slow EV sales. At least 13 new Hondas will arrive between 2027 and 2030 in a revised range of hybrids. Kicking things off are replacements for Civic and Jazz. The new efficient hybrids will help the company to navigate the 'transition period' between ICE power and electric. Announcing the strategy rethink recently, Honda CEO Toshihiro Mibe noted that 'demand for hybrid-electric vehicles is growing'. He added 'the expansion of the EV market has fallen behind the initial projection'. Mibe felt that the relaxation of CO2 emissions in the US was to blame for the slow growth of EVs. Honda has not said specifically which cars will be first to receive the new powertrain. It is expected to be of the non-plug-in variety and will come in 1.5- and 2.0-litre forms. That matches the capacities of the engines in the current Jazz and Civic. Both are due substantial updates in the coming years. The 1.5-litre version will provide peak torque over a rev range that's 40 per cent broader than currently to maximise efficiency without compromising driving pleasure. Check out our review of Honda's HR-V Sport. Both variants will deliver the best thermal performance of any combustion engine on the market, according to Honda. Meanwhile, the hybrid system's electric motor is smaller to reduce weight and improve packaging. Honda says to expect a 10 per cent improvement in fuel economy. For reference, the current 1.5-litre Jazz returns 3.8L/100km while the 2.0-litre Civic manages 5.1L/100km. Both cars will utilise a new platform that promises better driver engagement, comfort and safety. Civic will be 90kg lighter than the current structure and the bodies applied to the frame will bring a further 10 per cent saving in weight. Moreover, the models based on the new platform will share at least 60 per cent of their parts, such as the engine bay and rear floor. The new hybrid powertrains, meanwhile, will be 30 per cent cheaper to produce than those launched in 2023. Despite cutting its planned investment into EVs, Honda remains committed to their development. 'We would like to see the battery EV business as a pillar of our business from 2030 onward,' CEO Toshihiro Mibe told investors. The 0 Series of electric cars due to be launched in the US next year represents an effective reset of the company's approach to the market, following a poor showing from the E hatchback and disappointing e:Ny1 crossover sales overseas. The electric saloon and upcoming SUV usher in a new design language for Honda that will not be shared with the hybrids. However, a new emblem will be seen on all new Hondas. Toshinobu Minami, head of Honda's design centre, said 'Dynamic and simple will be key words for all models in future.'
Auto Car
05-06-2025
- Automotive
- Auto Car
Honda will launch 13 new hybrids to bridge the gap to EVs - and they'll have the "world's most efficient" ICE powertrain
The arrival of the two powertrains will coincide with a new platform that promises improvements in driver engagement, comfort and safety. For medium-sized cars, it will be 90kg lighter than the current structure and the bodies applied to the frame will bring a further 10% saving in mass. Cost-cutting is also a key directive in the development of Honda's upcoming cars. Models based on the new platform will share at least 60% of their parts, such as the engine bay and rear floor. The new hybrid powertrains, meanwhile, will be 30% cheaper to produce than those launched in 2023. Despite cutting its planned investment into EVs by £15.4 billion (to £51bn in total) and losing £3bn on them last year, Honda remains committed to EV development. 'We would like to see the battery EV business as a pillar of our business from 2030 onward,' CEO Toshihiro Mibe told investors. The 0 Series of electric cars due to be launched in the US next year represents an effective reset of the company's approach to the market, after it suffered setbacks with the E hatchback and e:Ny1 crossover. Honda will start by launching a boxy SUV and a futuristic saloon, followed by a seven-seater, small- and medium-sized crossovers and a saloon to rival the Tesla Model 3. This range signals the future of the brand. They will usher in a radical design language that will not be shared with the hybrids, though the new Honda emblem that was due to be exclusive to the 0 Series will now be rolled out across the line-up. Toshinobu Minami, head of Honda's design centre, told Autocar: 'Hybrid and combustion models are going to be different in terms of design but dynamic and simple will be key words for all models in future.'
The Advertiser
20-05-2025
- Automotive
- The Advertiser
Honda softens EV goals to focus more on hybrids
Honda has announced it will introduce 13 new hybrid electric vehicles (HEVs) using a lower cost, more fuel-efficient next-generation platform as it ditches its previous electric vehicle (EV) sales targets. The Honda business briefing held in Tokyo, Japan yesterday saw the automaker admit it won't achieve its previous goal of 30 per cent of sales being EVs by 2030 despite committing to investing more than 10 trillion yen (A$108 billion) in EV tech last year. Instead, Honda confirmed plans for a new generation of more affordable dual-motor 'e:HEV' hybrid technology – with renewed investment in internal combustion engines. The tech will use a new lighter all-wheel drive platform across small, medium and large vehicles to go into production from 2027. Hundreds of new car deals are available through CarExpert right now. Get the experts on your side and score a great deal. Browse now. The automaker said the tech – which will first be introduced in Japan and North America markets – will be more affordable with lower cost batteries and electric motors. Honda is also aiming for a 10 per cent improvement in fuel efficiency for the new e:HEV tech. Honda CEO Toshihiro Mibe said the brand aims to sell 2.2 million HEVs out of a total of 'more than 3.6 million' Honda vehicles annually by 2030. In 2024 the automaker's total global production was 3.7 million vehicles. The automaker will look to address slow sales in China with a partnership to develop next-level Advanced Driver Assistance Systems (ADAS) with local start-up Momenta, enabling it to tune ADAS for specific markets. Despite the move away from its electric car sales targets, Honda said it remains committed to its previously announced goal to be carbon-neutral by 2050. While it has invested heavily in fuel-cell technology, the automaker said battery-electric powertrains remain the best solution to achieve this, with plans for 'comprehensive EV supply chain' in Canada – despite headwinds from automotive tariffs applied by the US government. It plans to launch production versions of the Honda 0 Series electric range – the 'main pillar' of its electric model strategy – shown at the 2025 Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas. The first 0 Series model is scheduled to arrive in showrooms in 2026, with the lineup set to include a sedan and an SUV. Honda Australia is yet to confirm any EVs for local showrooms, although it currently offers five models with hybrid powertrains. Content originally sourced from: Honda has announced it will introduce 13 new hybrid electric vehicles (HEVs) using a lower cost, more fuel-efficient next-generation platform as it ditches its previous electric vehicle (EV) sales targets. The Honda business briefing held in Tokyo, Japan yesterday saw the automaker admit it won't achieve its previous goal of 30 per cent of sales being EVs by 2030 despite committing to investing more than 10 trillion yen (A$108 billion) in EV tech last year. Instead, Honda confirmed plans for a new generation of more affordable dual-motor 'e:HEV' hybrid technology – with renewed investment in internal combustion engines. The tech will use a new lighter all-wheel drive platform across small, medium and large vehicles to go into production from 2027. Hundreds of new car deals are available through CarExpert right now. Get the experts on your side and score a great deal. Browse now. The automaker said the tech – which will first be introduced in Japan and North America markets – will be more affordable with lower cost batteries and electric motors. Honda is also aiming for a 10 per cent improvement in fuel efficiency for the new e:HEV tech. Honda CEO Toshihiro Mibe said the brand aims to sell 2.2 million HEVs out of a total of 'more than 3.6 million' Honda vehicles annually by 2030. In 2024 the automaker's total global production was 3.7 million vehicles. The automaker will look to address slow sales in China with a partnership to develop next-level Advanced Driver Assistance Systems (ADAS) with local start-up Momenta, enabling it to tune ADAS for specific markets. Despite the move away from its electric car sales targets, Honda said it remains committed to its previously announced goal to be carbon-neutral by 2050. While it has invested heavily in fuel-cell technology, the automaker said battery-electric powertrains remain the best solution to achieve this, with plans for 'comprehensive EV supply chain' in Canada – despite headwinds from automotive tariffs applied by the US government. It plans to launch production versions of the Honda 0 Series electric range – the 'main pillar' of its electric model strategy – shown at the 2025 Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas. The first 0 Series model is scheduled to arrive in showrooms in 2026, with the lineup set to include a sedan and an SUV. Honda Australia is yet to confirm any EVs for local showrooms, although it currently offers five models with hybrid powertrains. Content originally sourced from: Honda has announced it will introduce 13 new hybrid electric vehicles (HEVs) using a lower cost, more fuel-efficient next-generation platform as it ditches its previous electric vehicle (EV) sales targets. The Honda business briefing held in Tokyo, Japan yesterday saw the automaker admit it won't achieve its previous goal of 30 per cent of sales being EVs by 2030 despite committing to investing more than 10 trillion yen (A$108 billion) in EV tech last year. Instead, Honda confirmed plans for a new generation of more affordable dual-motor 'e:HEV' hybrid technology – with renewed investment in internal combustion engines. The tech will use a new lighter all-wheel drive platform across small, medium and large vehicles to go into production from 2027. Hundreds of new car deals are available through CarExpert right now. Get the experts on your side and score a great deal. Browse now. The automaker said the tech – which will first be introduced in Japan and North America markets – will be more affordable with lower cost batteries and electric motors. Honda is also aiming for a 10 per cent improvement in fuel efficiency for the new e:HEV tech. Honda CEO Toshihiro Mibe said the brand aims to sell 2.2 million HEVs out of a total of 'more than 3.6 million' Honda vehicles annually by 2030. In 2024 the automaker's total global production was 3.7 million vehicles. The automaker will look to address slow sales in China with a partnership to develop next-level Advanced Driver Assistance Systems (ADAS) with local start-up Momenta, enabling it to tune ADAS for specific markets. Despite the move away from its electric car sales targets, Honda said it remains committed to its previously announced goal to be carbon-neutral by 2050. While it has invested heavily in fuel-cell technology, the automaker said battery-electric powertrains remain the best solution to achieve this, with plans for 'comprehensive EV supply chain' in Canada – despite headwinds from automotive tariffs applied by the US government. It plans to launch production versions of the Honda 0 Series electric range – the 'main pillar' of its electric model strategy – shown at the 2025 Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas. The first 0 Series model is scheduled to arrive in showrooms in 2026, with the lineup set to include a sedan and an SUV. Honda Australia is yet to confirm any EVs for local showrooms, although it currently offers five models with hybrid powertrains. Content originally sourced from: Honda has announced it will introduce 13 new hybrid electric vehicles (HEVs) using a lower cost, more fuel-efficient next-generation platform as it ditches its previous electric vehicle (EV) sales targets. The Honda business briefing held in Tokyo, Japan yesterday saw the automaker admit it won't achieve its previous goal of 30 per cent of sales being EVs by 2030 despite committing to investing more than 10 trillion yen (A$108 billion) in EV tech last year. Instead, Honda confirmed plans for a new generation of more affordable dual-motor 'e:HEV' hybrid technology – with renewed investment in internal combustion engines. The tech will use a new lighter all-wheel drive platform across small, medium and large vehicles to go into production from 2027. Hundreds of new car deals are available through CarExpert right now. Get the experts on your side and score a great deal. Browse now. The automaker said the tech – which will first be introduced in Japan and North America markets – will be more affordable with lower cost batteries and electric motors. Honda is also aiming for a 10 per cent improvement in fuel efficiency for the new e:HEV tech. Honda CEO Toshihiro Mibe said the brand aims to sell 2.2 million HEVs out of a total of 'more than 3.6 million' Honda vehicles annually by 2030. In 2024 the automaker's total global production was 3.7 million vehicles. The automaker will look to address slow sales in China with a partnership to develop next-level Advanced Driver Assistance Systems (ADAS) with local start-up Momenta, enabling it to tune ADAS for specific markets. Despite the move away from its electric car sales targets, Honda said it remains committed to its previously announced goal to be carbon-neutral by 2050. While it has invested heavily in fuel-cell technology, the automaker said battery-electric powertrains remain the best solution to achieve this, with plans for 'comprehensive EV supply chain' in Canada – despite headwinds from automotive tariffs applied by the US government. It plans to launch production versions of the Honda 0 Series electric range – the 'main pillar' of its electric model strategy – shown at the 2025 Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas. The first 0 Series model is scheduled to arrive in showrooms in 2026, with the lineup set to include a sedan and an SUV. Honda Australia is yet to confirm any EVs for local showrooms, although it currently offers five models with hybrid powertrains. Content originally sourced from:
7NEWS
20-05-2025
- Automotive
- 7NEWS
Honda softens EV goals to focus more on hybrids
Honda has announced it will introduce 13 new hybrid electric vehicles (HEVs) using a lower cost, more fuel-efficient next-generation platform as it ditches its previous electric vehicle (EV) sales targets. The Honda business briefing held in Tokyo, Japan yesterday saw the automaker admit it won't achieve its previous goal of 30 per cent of sales being EVs by 2030 despite committing to investing more than 10 trillion yen (A$108 billion) in EV tech last year. Instead, Honda confirmed plans for a new generation of more affordable dual-motor 'e:HEV' hybrid technology – with renewed investment in internal combustion engines. The tech will use a new lighter all-wheel drive platform across small, medium and large vehicles to go into production from 2027. Hundreds of new car deals are available through CarExpert right now. Get the experts on your side and score a great deal. Browse now. The automaker said the tech – which will first be introduced in Japan and North America markets – will be more affordable with lower cost batteries and electric motors. Honda is also aiming for a 10 per cent improvement in fuel efficiency for the new e:HEV tech. Honda CEO Toshihiro Mibe said the brand aims to sell 2.2 million HEVs out of a total of 'more than 3.6 million' Honda vehicles annually by 2030. In 2024 the automaker's total global production was 3.7 million vehicles. The automaker will look to address slow sales in China with a partnership to develop next-level Advanced Driver Assistance Systems (ADAS) with local start-up Momenta, enabling it to tune ADAS for specific markets. Despite the move away from its electric car sales targets, Honda said it remains committed to its previously announced goal to be carbon-neutral by 2050. While it has invested heavily in fuel-cell technology, the automaker said battery-electric powertrains remain the best solution to achieve this, with plans for 'comprehensive EV supply chain' in Canada – despite headwinds from automotive tariffs applied by the US government. It plans to launch production versions of the Honda 0 Series electric range – the 'main pillar' of its electric model strategy – shown at the 2025 Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas. The first 0 Series model is scheduled to arrive in showrooms in 2026, with the lineup set to include a sedan and an SUV.
Yahoo
20-05-2025
- Automotive
- Yahoo
In EV reality check, Honda CEO Toshihiro Mibe cuts sales, investment targets
TOKYO — Honda Motor Co. is dramatically reducing its investment and sales goals for EVs amid shifting regulatory and trade policies. The company will slash its planned R&D investment in electrification and software, announced last year, by 30 percent through the end of the decade. Honda will shift its focus instead to gasoline-electric hybrid vehicles, including a next-generation technology debuting in 2027. Japan's No. 2 carmaker now estimates that EV volume will be around 700,000 to 750,000 vehicles in 2030, down from its expectation for 2 million EVs it announced last year. By contrast, Honda expects hybrid sales to double to some 2.2 million vehicles in the time. Sign up for our daily First Shift morning newscast email for a quick video to start your day. CEO Toshihiro Mibe fleshed out the plans May 20 at the company's annual business briefing, saying the R&D spending on EVs and software will total ¥7 trillion ($48.28 billion), down from ¥10 trillion ($68.97 billion). But overall investment will stay unchanged as Honda spends more on hybrids, internal combustion and the wider deployment of advanced driver assist systems. Mibe cited loosening environmental regulations in the U.S. and Europe and new trade policies as causes for the course correction. 'It has become increasingly clear that the environmental regulations, which held promise for the widespread adoption of EVs, are becoming relaxed, mainly in the U.S. and Europe,' Mibe said during a press conference at Honda's global headquarters. 'In addition, the recent development in trade policies of various countries makes our business environment increasingly uncertain.' Mibe said EV demand will be hurt by the rollback of environmental regulations under the Trump administration, the expected loosening of fuel economy standards and possible elimination of tax credit incentives. EV demand could be set back five years by the policy shift. 'If the EV penetration period is pushed back a little, I feel that it will be pushed back by about five years, especially in North America,' Mibe said. 'The Trump administration will remain in power for four years, but that doesn't mean that EV demand will bounce back immediately. I think it will be pushed back by about five to six years.' The revision drastically scales back Honda's big push into EVs, a key part of Mibe's long-term strategy. Among its Japanese competitors, Honda has been the most bullish on EVs. It is the only Japanese automaker to target a complete phaseout of internal combustion in its vehicles by 2040. Mibe said that goal was unchanged. But the ramp-up would come from the mid-2030s. The company will launch the first of its next-generation 0 Series EVs next year. Honda's new outlook aims lower for overall global sales of all automobiles. Last year, Mibe expected EV sales of 2 million vehicles to account for around 3 million vehicles, implying volume exceeding 6 million vehicles. In curtailing Honda's EV ambitions, Mibe said the company now would simply try to increase overall sales beyond the 3.6 million booked in the just-finished fiscal year The company is also suspending investment in a Canada EV production hub amid uncertainty about trade policy in North America after the Trump administration's tariff rollout. The company didn't give a concrete sales target for 2030. But Mibe showed a sales growth chart for global volume that barely edges upward through the end of the decade. Honda now expects EVs to account for less than its previously announced target of 30 percent of global volume at the end of the decade. Mibe floated an estimate of 20 percent for EVs, saying that pure electric deliveries could extend into the 700,000-unit range. That outlook implies global volume climbing only as high as 3.75 million in 2030. From 2027, the company will introduce 13 new hybrids based on a next-generation hybrid vehicie platform. They will be rolled out over a four-year period, Mibe said. Honda will leverage hybrids to boost profitability, partly by expanding the range of vehicles using the gasoline-electric drivetrains. It will endeavor to improve the value proposition by equipping these hybrids with a next-generation advanced driver-assist system. In North America, Honda will deploy this next-gen hybrid system to large segments. The goal is to improve the appeal and utility, with improved capability for towing and rough-terrain driving. The upcoming hybrid platform will achieve a 10 percent improvement in fuel economy over the hybrids Honda sold in 2018. And they will cost half as much to build, Mibe said. 'In contrast to the slowdown in the EV shift, demand for hybrid-electric vehicles is growing,' Mibe said. 'In the end, the value of battery-electric vehicles is not yet equal to or greater than the value of the existing hybrid or plug-in hybrid vehicles. That is the main reason why customers have not yet jumped on the EV bandwagon.' Honda sold 64,444 EVs globally in 2024, more than triple the 19,134 it sold the year before. Honda's EV sales in North America surpassed volume in China, thanks to its addition of the Honda Prologue and Acura ZDX crossovers that were were jointly developed with General Motors. Honda said it sold 40,308 EVs in North America and 11,450 in China. But Honda's hybrids still do the heavy lifting. Honda sold 868,265 gasoline-electric hybrids globally in 2024, and they accounted for 23 percent of the company's global sales. Some 308,000 were delivered in North America. Honda's worldwide sales dipped 4.6 percent to 3.81 million vehicles in 2024. Mibe said Honda will use the slowdown in EV demand to improve its product. 'We should take advantage of this period and take the technological evolution to another level, so that customers can buy our BEVs and we will be able to make a profit,' Mibe said. 'We will take these difficult times as an opportunity to advance our technology one more cycle, and create value that surpasses the current gasoline-powered cars and HVs within five years.' The revamped road map came a week after Mibe said Honda would suspend big investments in its Canadian EV production hub and warned that operating profit would crater nearly 60 percent in the current fiscal year after being broadsided by tariffs. Mibe predicted Honda would face a $4 billion impact from tariffs. In Canada, Mibe said it would postpone the full investment of ¥1.5 trillion yen ($10.35 billion) in building an EV supply-chain infrastructure for at least two years. That investment, he said, was predicated on the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement. With that framework up in the air amid ongoing tariff negotiations, Mibe said Honda would take a fresh look in two years. But it doesn't mean Honda will necessarily resume investment then. 'We have to look at the situation at that time and make a decision then,' he said. 'However, we have already made some investments, but that is not a very large amount. We have curbed our investment where we could.' Honda, which sources about a third of its U.S. vehicles from plants in tariff-targeted Mexico and Canada and a smaller volume from the home market of Japan, says it is preparing various countermeasures to cope with duties implemented by the Trump administration. Naoto Okamura contributed to this report. Have an opinion about this story? Tell us about it and we may publish it in print. Click here to submit a letter to the editor.
