Future of Honda Hybrid Vehicles: Increased Production & Incentives

As gas prices climb across the country, Honda is committed more than ever to continuing its mission to have hybrid-electric vehicles available on the market. Honda’s vision is to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by no longer having any of their gas-fueled models for sale, replacing them with these hybrid-electric models. The hope is that this will make Honda’s business and its vehicles more environmentally friendly and safe. Now that mission continues as Honda is taking some major steps forward in making the dream a reality.

As the CEO of Honda Canada explained, “Increasing our hybrid-electric vehicle output is critical to reducing Honda’s greenhouse gas emissions and achieving our goals of 100% zero-emission vehicle sales in North America by 2040 and carbon neutrality for our global operations by 2050. Our recent investment of $1.38 billion to upgrade our Honda of Canada Mfg. (HCM) facilities in preparation for our electrified future is another step to realizing these goals as HCM will be the North American lead plant for building the all-new, 2023 CR-V Hybrid.” Here is a look at exactly how Honda is achieving these goals.

Ending Insight Production

As of June of this year, Honda has halted production of the Honda Insight model in their Indiana plant. This decision was made to help bolster the production of more Hybrid vehicles. Now that the Indiana plant is no longer working on Insight models, those same resources can be allocated toward producing such models as the CR-V Hybrid. This will refocus the plant’s efforts toward Honda’s core models and provide Hybrid versions of them to the market at an accelerated rate.

Introducing the CR-V Hybrid and Accord Hybrid

Image used with permission via Honda AdBuilder

Honda is introducing a new hybrid model this year: the CR-V Hybrid. This new SUV brings you all of the features you love about previous CR-V models while upgrading the vehicle with Honda’s hybrid-electric technology. This is to be followed by a similar upgrade to the Honda Accord with the release of the Accord Hybrid, and then sometime later the Civic will also be upgraded to the Civic Hybrid.

Honda’s Partnership With General Motors

Honda has recently begun working with General Motors to accelerate the timeline for getting affordable electric vehicles released. Both Honda and GM have expressed a desire to eliminate gas emissions from their products and operations in the future. Therefore they have formed an unprecedented partnership to share assets so that a gas emission-free future can arrive even sooner. They have been primarily focused on the development of battery-electric vehicles, with the hopes that leaps forward in this development will lead to global carbon neutrality by 2050.

The Prologue Electric SUV

Honda recently released a sneak peek at the design for the upcoming Prologue electric SUV. The Prologue, which will release in 2024, was designed in collaboration with GM and will initially use GM’s Ultium battery packs. By 2026, the Prologue will be included in a new line of electric vehicles based on Honda’s upcoming EV e:Architecture platform.

The Prologue has a sleek design including a longer wheelbase and a shorter overhang. This vehicle will be efficient and sport a luxurious look. Along with the new line of vehicles, it will pave the way for even more affordable electric vehicles to hit the market in 2027.

Upgrades to Honda Dealerships

As these new vehicles continue to be rolled out, it will become necessary that Honda dealerships can accommodate the showing and selling of electric vehicles. Thus, Honda will gradually upgrade their dealerships with new features to accommodate these vehicles. This will include a new design for the dealerships tailored to new ways customers shop for cars as well as outfitting them with electric vehicle charging stations. This will allow Honda to better serve you by selling you these new vehicles and providing quality service for those vehicles after they have been purchased.

The Goal

One of the advantages of this shift in focus toward electric vehicles is that it allows Honda to support government efforts for green, sustainable energy. At Ike Honda, this particularly allows us to support our local government’s pushes here in Illinois. The state of Illinois has recently set a goal to have a million registered electric vehicles on our roads by 2030. By supplying Honda’s new Hybrid cars, Ike Honda is doing its part to help meet this goal.

The Illinois government is also offering incentives to consumers to help contribute to this mission by purchasing electric vehicles. Starting this month, you will receive a $4,000 rebate for buying your electric vehicle and an additional up to 80% rebate for having a charging station installed when you apply for them within 90 days of making your purchase. However, this amount will drop in 2026, so consumers looking to switch to electric vehicles should do so sooner rather than later.

The government incentives aren’t the only advantage to owning an electric vehicle. Honda’s Hybrids have a number of practical advantages. These include a comfortable driving experience and lower maintenance costs. You’ll get everything you enjoy about driving without the extra expense of paying for gas and other maintenance unique to gas-fueled vehicles. Plus you’ll be contributing to reducing noise pollution and gas emissions, which helps improve everyone’s quality of life and the condition of our planet.

The long-term goal is to have a fully carbon-neutral business across the globe by 2050. The hope is that sales of electric vehicles will increase by 40% by 2030, then 80% come 2035, and finally 100% in 2040. If successful, this timeline will see the phasing out of gas-fueled vehicles and replacing them with their electric counterparts and new fully-electric designs. If you are looking for a new car, you can be part of this bright future by purchasing your next hybrid vehicle from Ike Honda in Marion, Illinois. Contact us, and we will be happy to show you your options.