The Honda CR-V Hybrid Prototype will be displayed at the Frankfurt motor show later this month, and previews a production model in which the company’s popular mid-size SUV will go hybrid for the first time.
Due on sale in 2018, the next-generation Honda HR-V Hybrid is expected to signal the expansion of electrified drivetrains across the brand’s range. Its newly developed i-MMD (intelligent Multi Mode Drive) hybrid system combines a 2.0-litre petrol engine with two electric motors – one for propulsion and one generating energy for the batteries.
Gearing in the hybrid model is fixed, according to Honda creating ‘a direct connection between moving components, enabling a smooth transfer of torque within the system.’ Power and economy figures for the powertrain are yet to be revealed.
Styling evolves
The Honda CR-V Hybrid Prototype also reveals the look of a general CR-V styling facelift. This will debut in showrooms with the 1.5-litre petrol-engined version of the CR-V, which will go on sale before the production version of the hybrid. In the same week that figures reveal UK diesel sales have slid again, Honda has made a possibly highly significant move in no longer offering a diesel-engined CR-V to European customers.
While described as an ‘evolutionary design that is sophisticated and sporty’, the restyle of the CR-V is extensive, and the resultant car measures up slightly longer, wider and higher than the current model.
The A-pillars (windscreen pillars) are thinner, wheel arches wider, and both wheels and tyres increased in size. Both the bonnet and rear flanks gain sharper contours, and the nose reflects the brand’s latest family styling with bespoke headlamp signatures.
