Honda News

Unveiled earlier this year, Honda’s CR-V e:FCEV SUV combines hydrogen fuel-cell technology with a more conventional battery-based plug-in electric powertrain to transform the potential flexibility of a fuel-cell electric vehicle (FCEV).

Honda has announced an extended warranty.

Cars without back windows? Cameras instead of mirrors? Electric cars that sound like petrol ones? Here's our Top 5 things car makers have fixed that weren't broken.

The Honda Prelude name has been absent from the market for more than two decades, but it looks set for a comeback in the next two years. Ahead of an appearance at this year’s Goodwood Festival of Speed, Honda has shown off the (very close to production-looking) concept in a new red paint hue. Additionally, the British arm of the marque confirmed to publication Autocar that the hybrid sports coupe it will launch in the United Kingdom in the middle of this decade. Previous intelligence suggests the Prelude will begin production in 2026 and will be a step in lowering Honda’s emissions while creating desirable, enthusiast-focused cars. Beyond it being a hybrid, nothing else is known of the Prelude’s powertrain. There are musings it could use a version of the existing Civic’s e:HEV petrol-electric set-up, potentially making more than the Civic's 135kW and 315Nm for a sportier feel. Honda has not commented, but a manual transmission is not off the cards – remember the three-pedal hybrid CR-Z?Visually, the low and wide Prelude concept has a distinct coupe aesthetics, and rides on attractive 20-inch alloy wheels. It channels classy vibes – more Volkswagen Scirocco than boy racer Hyundai i30 N or Civic Type R.“Ensuring this model maintains its ‘sporty’ DNA by perfectly blending the efficiency and environmental advantages of electrified driving with an exhilarating experience behind the wheel – liberating users from their daily lives with increased driving pleasure,” said Chief Engineer and Large Project Leader Tomoyuki Yamagami.How exactly Honda will achieve a pleasurable drive is unclear but the Prelude is likely to draw on the brand’s high-revving roots potentially with sound augmentation – or even natural noise. Tactility will matter hugely so expect Honda’s engineers to outfit the Prelude’s cabin with traditional physical knobs and buttons for high-traffic touchpoints, rather than trendy screen-heavy interaction. Honda’s new coupe model will most likely adopt the Civic’s chassis. It features aluminium components in the sub frames and independent multi-link suspension all around. The Prelude won't be Japan's only new sports car, with Toyota in particular reviving historic names including MR2 and Celica along with big updates for GR 86 and Supra.Details for the Prelude's Australia release remain a mystery. Expect more noise about the coupe in the coming months and years.

Following preliminary sales results announced in February, JATO dynamics has confirmed that the Tesla Model Y was the world’s best selling car in 2023. This historic statistic marks the first time an electric car has been the most popular vehicle globally. It achieved 1,223,000 sales for a huge 64 per cent improvement on 2022 to beat previous winners such as the Toyota RAV4 (1,075,000) and Honda CR-V (846,000).Although Model Y’s lead is perhaps not surprising to Oceanic, US or European readers, JATO dynamics analyst Felipe Munoz points out the astounding achievement given the Model Y’s lower demand in emerging markets. The strength of Japanese makers in general, and the RAV4 and CR-V in particular, is that they are not only popular in markets like the United States, Australia and Europe but are offered in lower cost guises that can succeed in growth markets including India (4.13 million sales), Brazil (2.12 million) and Iran (1.43 million).Following the CR-V came the Toyota Corolla sedan (803,000), Corolla Cross small SUV (715,000) and Camry sedan (650,000).The world’s most popular pick-up truck was the Ford F-150 (623,000) closely followed by the Toyota HiLux (605,000). In ninth spot was the Nissan Sentra (534,000) with the Tesla Model 3 (508,000) sneaking into the top 10. Australia’s top 10 featured the Ford Ranger, Toyota HiLux and Isuzu D-Max all ahead of the fourth-place Toyota RAV4. The Model Y took sixth spot locally trailing another Chinese-made SUV, the MG ZS. There was not a single passenger car in our top-10 – all were either SUVs or light commercial vehicles. It’s also worth noting our new-car market is forecast around 1.2 million units this year – less than the Model Y on its own globally.But Tesla may not remain at the top of the tree this year, and it will certainly become more challenging come 2025. Its Model 3 and Model Y are both due a facelift if they are to stay competitive in mature markets. Additionally, there is so much growth coming from what Jato has defined as emerging markets that the Model Y and Model 3 are not well-placed to capture. In total, these countries accounted for 22 per cent of new vehicle sales last year. The other looming threat for Tesla is China. For the first time in 2023, Chinese brands sold more cars than United States brands. The highest selling model was the BYD Qin sedan in 12th followed by the Song Plus – known as the Sealion 6 here – in 19th spot. Japan remained at the top of the tree, with 29.1 per cent of all new vehicle sales coming from the country’s marques and European brands accounting for 24.9 per cent. Top 10 best selling vehicles in the world  

Honda Australia now offers blind-spot monitoring (BSM) and rear cross-traffic alert (RCTA) as $400-$800 options on lower trim versions of its CR-V and ZR-V mid-size SUVs.Buyers are able to order the new variants now, with them complementing the existing range. There are no other price changes.The additional safety equipment will aid Honda's pair of SUVs in the fight against the Nissan X-Trail, Mitsubishi Outlander, Toyota RAV4 and Volkswagen Tiguan.For the ZR-V, the VTi X remains price leader at $39,500 drive-away while the new RCTA and BSM equipped VTi X+ increases that to $39,900.The mid-spec VTi L remains at $42,500 and the VTi L+ ($42,900) retains the same $400 price increase.The Higher trim VTi LX and e:HEV LX variants were already fitted as standard with the tech and therefore do not change.Only the base CR-V VTi X ($43,900 drive-away) was previously not fitted with the equipment. In five-seat guise, the VTi X+ is $800 dearer at $44,700. The seven-seat version is not available with the extra pack.All the additional variants use Honda's 140kW/240Nm 1.5-litre turbo-petrol four-cylinder paired with a CVT automatic. The upper trim 'e:HEV' hybrid models are already equipped with the safety equipment.Honda Australia has not said the ZR-V VTi X, VTi LX or CR-V VTi X will be discontinued however it did mention that "stock availability of these variants will be limited."There is also an end of financial year offer of an eight-year and unlimited kilometre warranty as well as eight years of premium roadside assist for those who order any ZR-V, a 2023 build CR-V petrol or 2024 build CR-V hybrid.

American Honda Motor has revealed the facelifted version of its locally built Honda Civic hatch, possibly previewing tech and styling changes that could apply to Australian models soon.

Honda will launch electric cars in Australia sooner than previously thought.

Honda Australia is about to seriously ramp up its hybrid offering, with the focus on more affordable petrol-electric grades of key models.

Honda was in danger of withdrawing from the Australian market if it didn’t make a drastic change to its business model, according to the brand’s local boss.