Honda Announces Civic Will Get Hybrid Touch Starting In 2024

Honda Civic Sedan. (Doc.Honda Motor Corporation)]

Honda has announced its plans to produce Civic models with hybrid technology in the US and Canada by 2024, both in sedans and hatchbacks, as a form of their commitment to welcoming the electrification era.

The Japanese manufacturer explained that the models will be produced in two different factories, namely the Honda of Canada Mfg in Alliston, Ontario, Canada, for the sedan version, and the Indiana Auto Plant in Greensburg, Indiana, USA, for the hatchback version.

The engine to be used is a 2.0 liter 4-cylinder Atkinson Cycle engine, which is also used in hybrid CR-V models, and will be assembled at the same plant, namely Anna Engine Plant, Ohio, USA. The transmission to this model will be produced at Honda Transmission Plant, Ohio, USA.

According to Roxanna Metz, who serves as the Co-Lead Indiana Auto Plant, a hybrid Civic was introduced because Honda saw a positive trend in their hybrid car sales, which had increased to a quarter of Honda's total sales in the US.

"Our colleagues are proud to play an important role in Honda's electrification strategy by adding new Civic hybrid production to the hybrid CR-V lineup we have made before," Roxanna said in an official statement from the company released on Thursday, October 19.

Honda also noted that more than 56 percent of their sales of CR-V and Accord models in the US are hybrid variants, which means more than a quarter of their total sales in the US are electric cars. This makes Honda the best-selling hybrid car brand in the US.

All of these steps are in line with Honda's plans to achieve carbon neutrality by 2050, with a commitment to provide more battery-based electric vehicles (BEVs) and fuel cells, which are expected to cover 100 percent of their total vehicle sales by 2040.

In the US, Honda has also started sales of electric vehicles with Honda Prologue, an electric SUV that was first sold in the US market. Furthermore, by 2025, the manufacturer plans to market models of medium to large electric vehicles based on their e:Architecture platforms.