Honda has decided that its best-selling SUV in America will no longer be offered with a conventional petrol engine, and the next CR-V will arrive in 2028 as a hybrid alone. It is a quiet acknowledgement of a shift already underway in the showroom, where buyers have been choosing hybrids in growing numbers for years. The company is placing its bet on a new platform and a fifth generation of its two-motor system, hoping that efficiency and a sportier feel will carry the nameplate into its next thirty years.
Honda Confirms All-Hybrid Next-Gen CR-V, Ending Pure-Petrol Version for US Market
Honda is removing a conventional option from its biggest seller
Mark
Honda is dropping petrol from the CR-V entirely in the US. Why now?
Mimi
Because buyers got there first. Hybrids are already more than half of CR-V sales, and the hybrid's annual sales have grown nearly tenfold since 2020.
Mark
So this is following demand rather than leading it.
Mimi
Largely. Honda also set US hybrid sales records in 2024 and 2025 and expects 2026 to continue that.
Luke
Worth noting the efficiency claim is soft. The report says fuel efficiency could improve by more than 10%. That's not a confirmed figure from Honda.
Mark
And the hardware details?
Mimi
The fifth-generation two-motor system and a new electric AWD are confirmed. Honda hasn't given specifics for the new hybrid.
Luke
Right, so no power, torque or mileage numbers yet. The current hybrid's 204 hp is the only reference point.
Mark
What does the platform change add?
Mimi
Lighter weight, a modular design and stiffer body, plus easier parts sharing across models, which helps cost control.
Luke
Those are goals Honda states, not results. Nothing has been measured on a finished car.
Mark
And the bigger picture?
Mimi
It's the first of several North American hybrids planned by 2030, with Honda calling hybrids a key growth driver.
Il Polso
- The pure-petrol CR-V, long a staple of showrooms, is being cut from America's most popular SUV line.
- Hybrids already make up more than half of CR-V sales, so the change is less a gamble than a catch-up to buyers.
- Honda is rebuilding the car on a new lightweight platform and a fifth-generation two-motor system, with efficiency claims above 10%.
- Full power and mileage figures remain undisclosed, so the real verdict on the new hybrid is still ahead, with wider North American hybrid rollout due by 2030.
Honda has decided that its best-selling SUV in America will no longer be offered with a conventional petrol engine, and the next CR-V will arrive in 2028 as a hybrid alone. It is a quiet acknowledgement of a shift already underway in the showroom, where buyers have been choosing hybrids in growing numbers for years. The company is placing its bet on a new platform and a fifth generation of its two-motor system, hoping that efficiency and a sportier feel will carry the nameplate into its next thirty years.
Honda has announced that the 2028 CR-V will be sold in the United States as a hybrid only, retiring the petrol version that has stood beside it in showrooms. The timing coincides with the nameplate's 30th anniversary, and the decision follows the buyers themselves. Hybrids already account for more than half of CR-V sales, and their annual volume has grown nearly tenfold since the hybrid arrived in 2020.
For a model that sells over 400,000 units a year and has passed 7.5 million cumulative US sales, dropping a conventional option is a significant step. What departs is a 1.5-litre turbo engine. What replaces it is a hybrid built around a 2.0-litre engine, now receiving a fifth-generation two-motor system and a newly developed electric all-wheel-drive unit. Honda claims the redesign could lift fuel efficiency by more than 10%, though detailed specifications have yet to be released.
The car will also rest on a new platform aimed at low weight, modularity and greater body rigidity, which Honda says will bring a sportier drive and better control. The CR-V is the first of several hybrids the company plans for North America by 2030. Whether the promised efficiency gains hold up on the road is the question that will shape the next chapter.
Honda has announced that the next CR-V, the 2028 model, will be sold in the United States with a hybrid powertrain only. The pure-petrol version, which has sat alongside the hybrid in showrooms, is being dropped. The new car arrives next year, and the timing lines up with the 30th anniversary of the nameplate.
The decision follows the sales. Hybrids already account for more than half of all CR-V sales in the US. Since the hybrid was introduced in 2020, its annual sales have grown nearly tenfold. Honda set all-time US hybrid sales records in 2024 and 2025, and expects a third in 2026, led by the CR-V hybrid. Across Honda's whole US lineup, hybrids make up around 30% of car sales.
The CR-V is America's bestselling SUV. Annual sales are expected to pass 400,000 units for the third year running, and cumulative US sales stand above 7.5 million. That scale is what makes the move notable: Honda is removing a conventional option from its biggest seller in the market.
What goes away is a 1.5-litre turbocharged DOHC inline-four, which makes 190 hp and 243 Nm of torque and is paired with a CVT. The hybrid it leaves behind uses a 2.0-litre engine and an electric propulsion motor, with combined output of 204 hp and an e-CVT.
The new car will use the fifth generation of Honda's two-motor hybrid system. Honda says the redesign makes the engine more efficient and improves the driving efficiency of the hybrid unit. The report suggests fuel efficiency could improve by more than 10%. The car also gets a newly developed electric all-wheel-drive system with more precise and responsive motor control. Honda has not released specifics of the new hybrid system, so power figures and mileage numbers are still to come.
The CR-V will also debut a new platform, with a bold new design on top of it. Honda's stated goals for the architecture are low weight, modularity and high body rigidity, which it says should deliver a sportier drive across the models built on it. Modularity is also a cost play, since it allows parts to be shared more easily between models. Honda adds that better vehicle control and smoother behaviour should improve safety.
The CR-V is the first of several hybrid models Honda plans to launch in North America by 2030. Globally, the company is shifting its emphasis toward hybrid electric vehicles and names them a key growth driver. Pure electric vehicles are still in development, but the overall mix will lean toward hybrids. The next things to watch are the technical details of the fifth-generation system and whether the efficiency gain holds up.
Citazioni salienti
The 2028 CR-V will use the fifth generation of Honda's two-motor hybrid system and a newly developed electric AWD system.— Honda announcement, as reported by RushLane
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