Honda’s Australian execs believe the brand’s continued focus on hybrid cars will be crucial in the local market eventually transitioning to EVs.

“Australians will in the main, make the transition to electric vehicles through hybrids,” Robert Thorpe, Director of Automotive for Honda Australia, said at the launch of the 2026 hybrid CR-V. “Hybrids grew 38 per cent in 2025, and the strongest growth segment is hybrids.”

Traditional rival Toyota has doubled down on hybrid technology for its RAV4, and now 30 years since its introduction to the Australian market and into its sixth generation, hybrids have become just as important for Honda.

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“Hybrids are a focus for Honda,” Thorpe said. “We forecast that 80 per cent of our sales in Australia will be hybrid for 2026, but it could be even more than that. “It’s something that Honda has been doing for a number of years, and more than 80 per cent of our product line-up (across the range) will be hybrid as well.”

Honda’s experience with the technology goes back to 2001, with the launch of the first hybrid vehicle in Australia, the Honda Insight. Known for its quirky styling, and impressive for the time fuel efficiency, the first Insight was a toe in the water but very much a portent of what was to come.

Hybrid uptake is accelerating and not just because the current price of fuel has climbed,” Nick Parkington, General Manager of Automotive for Honda Australia, said. “Buyers want efficiency without range anxiety, and in the sub $65,000 medium SUV category, hybrid sales are increasing – from 18 per cent in 2020, to 42 per cent in 2025.”

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New CR-V, with its 135kW combined power, 335Nm and claimed 5.5L/100km fuel use on the combined cycle, offers up to 1000km from a full tank of fuel. “We’re democratising hybrid technology in our range,” Thorpe said. “We’ll get to a point where the whole range is hybrid, not too far away, maybe 2027 or 2028.”

New CR-V comprises six variants, with 2WD and AWD models available, but crucially, hybrid technology is now available from the e:HEV X grade, one step up from base model, costing $49,900 drive away around Australia. The range-topper is the e:HEV RS with AWD costing $64,400 drive away.