Dive Brief:
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The Honda CR-V is going all-hybrid as part of a redesign for the 2028 model year, the automaker announced Thursday in a press release. It’s set to be the first of several new hybrid models for North America, according to the company.
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The shift of Honda’s best-selling CR-V to an all-hybrid powertrain will be supported by investments in the automaker’s existing U.S. manufacturing facilities, including an engine, next-generation power unit and hybrid system built at its Ohio plants.
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"With a 100% hybrid powertrain, the next-generation Honda CR-V will further expand the appeal of America's most popular SUV as demand for hybrid-electric vehicles reaches record levels," said Luis Guerra, assistant VP of Honda National Auto Sales.
Dive Insight:
Although much might change in the positioning of the 2028 Honda CR-V in the shift to an all-hybrid lineup, this is not directly related to last week’s $3 billion investment in a new Ohio hybrid vehicle plant, set to start production in 2029. Honda confirmed that the upcoming CR-V will be built at Honda’s East Liberty Auto Plant in Ohio; its Indiana Auto Plant; and by Honda of Canada Manufacturing — the same three plants that supply North American sales today.
To support the volume of components needed for an all-hybrid lineup, Honda says it’s retooling its transmission plant in Ohio to make next-generation hybrid systems for compact, midsize and larger vehicles — with a targeted 250% boost in production capacity in the coming years. It’s also retooling an existing production line at the Anna Engine Plant to build a next-generation Atkinson-cycle 4-cylinder engine for the new hybrid models.
The 100%-hybrid transformation for CR-V will bring a huge volume shift to hybrids for Honda. According to Honda’s annual sales report, 54% of CR-V were hybrids in 2025.
Honda says that through October the CR-V is the best-selling light-duty vehicle for the U.S. market — and that the CR-V is on pace for an annual sales record, surpassing 400,000 annual sales for the third straight year. Honda also boasts that the CR-V is America’s all-time-best-selling SUV, with cumulative sales of more than 7.5 million units since its introduction in 1997.
Honda emphasizes that its upcoming 5th-generation two-motor hybrid system takes advantage of an expanded efficiency range for the engine plus a boost in the driving efficiency of the hybrid unit. It also said that the new hybrid system shifts all-wheel-drive duty to a separate electric AWD unit that “will allow highly precise and responsive motor control.”
This is all part of a broad pivot to hybrids for the U.S. that Honda announced in May 2025. Then in October 2025 it confirmed an expansion of its hybrid platform, including V-6 hybrid models and a sportier driving experience. An expanded lineup of 15 next-generation hybrids is due by 2030, according to Honda, with Acura hybrids coming too.
Honda has also confirmed that it will bring the Element back as a hybrid model around 2029. A next-generation Ridgeline pickup is due before then, but Honda hasn’t yet said if that will be one of these expanded hybrid models.
One of the CR-V’s top rivals, the Toyota RAV4, went all-hybrid — or plug-in hybrid — for the 2026 model year. To support production, Toyota in 2025 opened a $13.9 billion battery plant in North Carolina, where battery modules are made for the RAV4, and it confirmed an additional $10 billion investment in U.S. operations over the five years.
