Honda News

The imminent arrival of the new-generation Honda CR-V will finally fill in the biggest gap in the Japanese brand’s line-up.

Has Honda been right all along? Exactly two years into its controversial but since mimicked agency model, with fixed driveaway pricing and no haggling or discounting, it’s time to assess the Japanese brand’s Australian report card – and things certainly seem to be looking up, especially for buyers.

Just when you thought Honda had revealed its entire SUV line-up, it reveals another new model! The Japanese carmaker has lifted the lid on its new Elevate medium SUV which is a little smaller than the soon-to-launch ZR-V.

Honda Australia hopes its slowing sales will receive a shot in the arm with the arrival of the ZR-V mid-size SUV later this month, available in four flavours and priced from $40,200 drive-away.

Honda's petrol-powered HR-V is probably having a massive panic attack right about now thanks to the brand unveiling its new electric SUV, the e:NY1.

A plug-in hybrid electric vehicle (PHEV) version of Honda's crucial new-generation CR-V has been revealed in the UK, opening the door for the more advanced hybrid SUV to make it to Australia to take on the Mazda CX-8, Hyundai Santa Fe and Toyota Kluger.

The world bought 79,400,000 new cars in 2022, over a million less than in 2021, but new information reveals just how different the new car landscape is globally with electrification becoming a new standard consideration in new car buying decisions.Data published by auto industry analysis firm JATO reveals the top ten passenger car models (including utes) sold worldwide in 2022, with Toyota now joined by Tesla as the most present brands in the top chart.While Toyota models take five of the top ten spots, Tesla has two including its Model Y small SUV in third place, having sold 747,000 units in 2022, and the Model 3 sedan in tenth with 482,000 sold.The Model Y, as of the end of Q1 this year, also leads European sales by a significant margin - more than 10,000 sales ahead of the second-most popular car in the region, the Dacia Sandero, and amassing 71,683 sales after three months.The Toyota RAV4 topped a million in 2022 with 1,016,000 units sold, though it’s down 10 per cent on 2021. The Corolla, which is the most-sold car in the world to this day, sold 992,000 units in 2022.It means that, while the Model Y is only one of two hugely popular models in the electric car brand’s range compared to the many Toyota models, it seems like premium-leaning electric cars won’t struggle with popularity as the world shifts to electrification.JATO’s Global Analyst Felipe Munoz said there are several factors that Tesla has overcome to achieve two cars in the top ten sold worldwide, like the brand’s newness despite it's relatively expensive pricetag.“It is a historic moment to see a pure electric vehicle not only so close to the top position, but a relatively new brand getting so far in the global ranking, particularly given they are not the most affordable vehicles,” he said.Behind the RAV4, Corolla and Model Y is the Honda CR-V with 733,000 sales, the Toyota Camry with 673,000 and, another of Australia’s top models, the Toyota HiLux in sixth with 632,000.The Nissan Sentra, related to the Pulsar formerly sold in Australia, sold 566,000 units, with the Toyota Corolla Cross at 530,000.America’s darling, the Ford F-150 with 525,000 sales, is ninth ahead of the Model 3 to round out the top 10.Interestingly, only three models in the list sold more in 2022 than the previous year: the Tesla Model Y, the Toyota HiLux and the Corolla Cross - the latter only recently being introduced to Australia, inflating its sales difference.

The race to be crowned Australia’s best-selling mid-size SUV in 2023 is heating up with multiple contenders in the mix after Mazda’s decade-long streak was broken by the hot-selling Toyota RAV4 in 2020.

Honda's march towards an electric future will come much later in Australia than the rest of the world, with the first full EV model from the Japanese brand likely not coming until at least 2026.

One of the criticisms Honda has copped lately is that its popular Civic and HR-V e:HEV hybrids are priced too highly because they're only available in the most expensive grades in Australia – but that may change in the near future.