The 11th-generation Civic will join the hybrid game.
Last month, Honda showed off a new hybrid model based on the Civic Hatchback. We took one look at it and immediately wondered if it would eventually come to the US as a replacement for the Honda Insight, which is now a generation behind its non-hybrid Civic counterpart. As it turns out, our line of thinking was correct; Honda just announced that it will increase the volume for its core hybrid models, including the CR-V, Accord, and a future Civic. Let’s explain why that’s such great news.
The current Insight uses a 1.5-liter engine paired with two electric motors, combining to produce 151 hp and 197 lb-ft of torque. The new Civic Hybrid gets a larger 2.0-liter engine, upping the total output to 181 horsepower and 232 lb-ft of torque without hurting fuel economy. This is way more power than what’s offered in rivals like the Hyundai Elantra Hybrid and Toyota Corolla Hybrid. Plus, the Civic Hybrid is based on a hatchback rather than a sedan, so it’s more practical too.
To make room for the new Civic Hybrid and other hybrid models, Honda will end Insight production in June. Over the course of its life, the 3rd-generation Insight sold more than 70,000 units since 2018. Honda reached a hybrid sales record last year with over 100,000 units, the fifth straight increase in a row.
The company’s Indiana Auto Plant will then focus on building the new CR-V and CR-V Hybrid, which will be revealed later this year, followed by a new Accord Hybrid. Honda says the hybrid Accord and CR-V will make up 50 percent of their respective models’ sales mix.
“Hybrid-electric vehicles are effective in reducing greenhouse gas emissions and are a critical pathway toward Honda’s vision for 100 percent zero-emission vehicle sales in North America by 2040,” said Mamadou Diallo, vice president of Auto Sales at American Honda Motor Co. “Making the volume leader of our core models hybrid-electric will dramatically boost electrified sales in the Honda lineup, a strategy that will be augmented by the arrival of a Civic Hybrid in the future.”
Honda says more information about the Civic Hybrid will be made available closer to the model’s launch, but we likely know enough about it from the European reveal.
