2023 Honda HR-V sketch previews major SUV push in 2022
The new HR-V will be the first Honda crossover to be released this year, followed by the CR-V and Pilot.
Honda is calling 2022 "the year of the crossover," which is pretty apt considering the automaker has three new SUV models coming this year, starting with the 2023 Honda HR-V .
Honda on Thursday announced that the 2023 HR-V will be the first of a triumvirate of new crossovers, all three of which are slated to debut this year. While the timing is unclear, we know the HR-V will come first, followed by the CR-V and finishing with the Pilot . Included alongside the news is a sketch of the upcoming HR-V, which picks up smoother design details up front, although the lower air dam looks pretty aggressive (in a good way). Out back, the taillights carry more Civic DNA than what we see from the recently redesigned Euro-market HR-V.
The automaker didn't say much about the HR-V, only that it's a model specifically designed with the US market in mind. It's also unclear how big of a role electrification will play in these new vehicles. Honda's hybrids continue to grow in popularity among its buyers, and the new HR-V in Europe and Japan is only available as a hybrid. That said, the HR-V still remains the king of its segment, even entering its final model year, so it may stand to reason that Honda wouldn't want to rock the boat too much.
We'll see the real thing later this year.
If a hybrid is offered, it would likely be treated similar to how Honda treats the CR-V, offering both gas-only and hybrid variants as buyers still slowly warm to electrification. Right now, the latest generation of Civic comes with two gas engines on offer, a naturally aspirated I4 making 158 horsepower and a turbocharged I4 making 180 hp. Either would make a good candidate for a cost-effective way to give the HR-V a little more pep than its current 141-hp four-pot.
There are still plenty of cars in Honda's lineup, and those will be getting some love in the near future, too. Following the aforementioned SUVs , Honda will pull back the veil on a new Civic Type R compact performance hatchback, followed by a new Accord midsize sedan. On the Acura side, the revived Integra will make its production-model debut sometime in the middle of 2022.
Battery-electric models are heading our way, too, although they're a bit further out. Honda has a new Prologue electric vehicle coming in 2024, about the same time Acura intends to debut an electric SUV.
