Having suffered billions in losses due to a poorly planned electrification strategy, Honda has pivoted from EVs towards hybrids. The company’s plans still involve introducing as many as 15 new hybrid models over the next three years, and here you can see two of them.
The images were reportedly revealed to investors during a meeting in Japan, but the cars themselves are primarily designed for the United States market. One is a four-door liftback, while the other one is a crossover bearing the Acura badge. Both look quite unusual for Honda with their edgy exteriors, lots of intersecting lines and unconventional proportions.
At the same time, the company claims it has managed to make its hybrid powertrain tech about 30% cheaper than the previous generation, something that will surely be reflected in the final price of the cars. It has also improved fuel economy by around 10% and says the new Accord Hybrid (see video) will be the first to take advantage of it.
Earlier reports revealed that Honda lost more than $15 billion due to a misplaced bet on costly futuristic EVs. As a result, the company had to axe its 0 Saloon, 0 SUV and Acura RSX production plans – none of these three vehicles will ever see daylight. Same goes for the tech-laden Afeela coupe developed by Sony Honda Mobility.
For the time being, China is the only market where Honda still sees EV production as viable. Even then, the company says it won’t attempt to design new EVs on its own, instead relying on the local brands for help.