Summary
Honda has named its next-generation hybrid system Honda Hybrid and says global launches will begin in 2027. The company plans 15 models using the system by the end of the fiscal year ending March 31, 2030, primarily in North America.
Honda has named its next-generation hybrid system Honda Hybrid, with global introductions planned to begin in 2027. Honda Motor Co. says it expects to launch 15 models using the system by the end of the fiscal year ending March 31, 2030, primarily in North America.
The name will also serve as Honda’s global communication name for the technology. The system builds on the company’s e:HEV two-motor hybrid technology, with changes to the engine, drive unit and control systems.
What Honda says is changing
Honda says the new system is designed to improve fuel economy while retaining responsive driving performance. Planned technical changes include expanding the engine’s high-efficiency operating range and making the drive unit more efficient and smaller. The announcement does not give numerical fuel-economy estimates or detailed specifications for the components.
Honda’s earlier e:HEV system uses a generator motor and a traction motor. The company says it relies on motor drive for most everyday driving and automatically switches among three operating modes according to conditions. Honda describes the new system as a further development of that technology, rather than a departure from its two-motor lineage.
The hybrid system will be paired with a newly developed vehicle platform. Honda says its approach to managing body rigidity is intended to reduce weight while maintaining optimized rigidity, and to improve roadholding through tuned body behaviour in corners. Planned features also include a Motion Management System, which Honda describes as its integrated control technology, and a newly developed electric all-wheel-drive system, or e-AWD.
A wider hybrid rollout
The planned 15-model programme is part of Honda’s effort to redirect development and production resources towards its hybrid business in response to growing global demand, the company says. The rollout is global, with North America identified as the primary focus; Honda has not yet detailed the model-by-model schedule in this announcement.
The announcement sets out the direction of the new system and its planned product rollout, but leaves the fuel-economy gains and individual vehicle specifications to be established through future model announcements. For now, the clearest technical changes Honda identifies are improvements to the engine’s efficient operating range, the drive unit’s efficiency and size, and the integration of the system with a new platform and vehicle controls.