Did you know that the first hybrid vehicle in the US wasn’t the Toyota Prius? That’s right – it was the Honda Insight. Launched in December 1999, the two-door Honda hatchback predated the Prius by months, though the market significance between the two remains arguable.
Honda
Japanese automaker Honda rose from the ashes of WWII and set about its business as a manufacturer of motorcycles initially, only launching its first car, the T360 kei truck, in 1963. Founder Soichiro Honda targeted the American market as the most important nut to crack, leading to generations of iconic nameplates like the Civic and Accord being among America’s best-selling passenger cars. Today, Hondas are renowned for their safety, practicality, and reliability, with a sprinkling of performance from models like the Civic Type R.
- Founded
- 24 September 1948
- Founder
- Soichiro Honda
- Headquarters
- Hamamatsu, Japan
- Owned By
- Publicly Traded
- Current CEO
- Toshihiro Mibe
The fact is, Honda is celebrating its 25th year of selling hybrid-electric vehicles (HEVs) in the US this month, following its celebration in Europe a few months earlier, and it has revealed something more: one out of four new Honda vehicles sold this year – namely the Civic, CR-V, and Accord – come equipped with the automaker’s award-winning two-motor hybrid-electric system.
Milestone For Honda’s Hybrid Models In The US
In line with its celebration of hybrid models, Honda has a lot of things going for it with its current lineup. The Honda CR-V was the best-selling HEV and the Accord was the most-popular hybrid car, with 197,317 units and 96,323 units sold in 2023, respectively. These numbers trumped those of rivaling Toyota HEVs, though exact numbers of the latter’s electrified models weren’t disclosed and were combined with the pure ICE models.
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2001 Honda Insight Vs. 2025 Honda Civic Hybrid: How far have Honda hybrids come in a quarter of a century?
Back at the start of the 21st century, the alien-looking Insight arrived with a 73-hp hybrid powertrain. It was slow, but the 2001 model could hit 60 mpg on the highway in manual guise! The new 2025 Civic Hybrid isn’t as economical (47 mpg on the highway), but it has 200 hp to match the sporty Civic Si, and it no longer looks like a freakish science experiment. These two Hondas show that hybrids have gone from a novelty for early adopters to -in some cases – the most sensible model in a range.
Meanwhile, the Civic hybrid was just revealed a few months ago for the 2025 model year, expected to represent 40% of the total Civic sales next year. According to Honda, it has sold over a million electrified models since 1999. This year, over 25% of new vehicles sold are HEVs, which is slightly lower than Toyota’s more expansive hybrid lineup in the US. Clearly, the decision to focus on hybrids is paying off for both Japanese marques.
Current Hybrid Hondas Are Made In North America
Honda’s HEVs are made in North America, with the Accord hybrid assembled at the Marysville Auto Plant in Ohio. The Civic Hatchback hybrid comes from the Indiana Auto Plant, while the Civic Sedan hybrid is produced in Canada at the Alliston Auto Plant. The CR-V hybrid is built across three facilities: the East Liberty Auto Plant in Ohio, the Indiana Auto Plant, and the Alliston Auto Plant.
Related
How reliable do you think Honda hybrid cars are?
Much like the Honda lineup overall, Honda hybrid cars are a reliable choice. Check out the refreshed Civic hybrid, which gets great fuel economy with a price starting at under $25K. What do you think of Honda hybrid cars?
Interestingly, the mechanical components for these HEVs are made in Ohio at Honda Power Unit Operations, handling both the two-motor hybrid-electric power unit (Ohio Transmission Plant) and the 2.0-liter Atkinson-cycle four-cylinder engine (Anna Engine Plant).
News Summary:
- 1 In 4 New Hondas On The Road Comes With 25-Year-Old Tech
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