Honda To Swell Its Hybrid Range 6 th -gen City, New Three-Row Crossover

 

Honda To Swell Its Hybrid Range 6 th -gen City, New Three-Row Crossover

The newer hybrid models will be more affordable as compared to the current hybrid vehicle present in the market (City e:HEV) as newer models will begin somewhere in the range of 15 lakh rupiahs.

In a bid to fill the gap between both ICEs and EVs, multiple automakers have come up with flexible multi-energy platforms. These enable one to easily adjust to the changing market conditions. Although ICE products are not going away any time soon, hybrids appear to finally be on a roll. Automobile manufacturers such as Skoda, Volkswagen, Hyundai, Mahindra and Renault are stepping up their hybrid power. Honda also has something of the kind as it is also using an added multi-energy platform. What say we see what the facts are?

Honda hybrid cars to use PF2 Platform

Autocar India also notes that the future hybrid cars which Honda will launch in India will be based on the new PF2 platform. This new platform will be used to support various powertrains like hybrids, ICE and EVs. In this platform, Honda will deploy its new small and medium-sized vehicles. The automobiles assembled through PF2 platform will also be exported to the world market, just as opposed to meet the local demand. The new platform will allow the brand to make India as major production center.

Currently, Honda has provided the City e:HEV as it has the single powerful hybrid available in India. e:HEV uses modern technology and is very efficient with the mileage of 27.26 km/l. It is, therefore, the highest fuel-efficient sedan in India, the Honda City e:HEV. Nonetheless, e:HEV tech is complicated and aims at foreign parts. That is why it is relatively very expensive with a price of Honda City e: HEV in the range of starting at 20.85 lakhs. This has effected its sales potential.

The new PF2 platform will be different in that it will experience high degree of localization in Honda. Future Honda vehicles to come upon the new PF2 platform may be available at the price segment of Rs 15 lakh to Rs 30 lakh. Having a price of about Rs 15 lakh as the starting price the upcoming hybrid cars offered by Honda can enjoy great demand. To put something into perspective, the Toyota Urban Cruiser Hyryder with the strongest hybrid spec that can be found in India at present is the most affordable one. It comes between Rs 16.81 lakh and Rs 20.19 lakh.

Upcoming Honda hybrid cars, EVs

A brand-new three-row SUV should be the first hybrid product of Honda as a new PF2 platform. It is supposed to be released in 2027. The new three-row SUV will serve above the Elevate SUV in the lineup of the company. The main competitors will be such models as Mahindra XUV700 and Tata Safari. Honda would be able to take the current 1.5-litre NA petrol engine used in Elevate and also propose an impressive hybrid variant.

The sixth generation of the City sedan will be the second model developed by Honda based on PF2 platform. It will offer both NA petrol and strong hybrid powertrain. The sixth generation Honda City will come out in 2028. It is projected that the production would start sometime in May 2028.

It is also reported that Honda is trying to launch a new sub-4-meter SUV over the PF2 platform. The new subcompact SUV of Honda will be priced competitively since the PF2 will be locally produced in large numbers. The 1.5 litres petrol engine of the Elevate will probably power this SUV.

Honda will develop both its EV portfolio in India. The initial one will be an Elevate-based EV, which is slated to roll out in 2026. Another EV will follow too, which should be introduced in 2029. This second EV will ride on the PF2 platform. It will be placed under the Elevate.