- Honda CR-V goes 100% hybrid with the 2028 model arriving next year.
- Hybrids make up over 50% of CR-V sales as the SUV nears 400,000 units.
- The new two-motor hybrid system targets fuel efficiency gains of more than 10%.
Honda is taking its best-selling vehicle fully hybrid. The next-generation 2028 Honda CR-V arrives next year with a new platform, a new two-motor hybrid powertrain and a new design, the company announced in a press release. It’s the seventh generation of the SUV and the first of several hybrid models Honda has confirmed in development for North America by 2030. Honda didn’t share any images of the new CR-V, posting only a teaser of the SUV’s updated logo.
The CR-V is on pace to surpass 400,000 units for the third straight year, and Honda says hybrids account for over 50% of the model’s sales mix. Annual CR-V hybrid sales have grown nearly tenfold since the hybrid launched in 2020.
The 2028 CR-V will run exclusively on the fifth generation of Honda’s two-motor hybrid system, which Honda says increases the standard power and efficiency of the SUV. Honda is aiming to improve fuel efficiency by more than 10%, and the system adds a newly developed electric AWD unit for precise, responsive motor control. The new platform combines high body rigidity with light weight and a modular architecture that allows greater parts commonality.
Honda says the CR-V is America’s all-time best-selling SUV, with more than 7.5 million units sold, and the best-selling light-duty vehicle in the U.S. through October 2026. It’s been Honda’s best-selling vehicle every year since 2017, and 2027 marks its 30th anniversary. Luis Guerra, assistant vice president of Honda National Auto Sales, said the 100% hybrid powertrain will further expand the SUV’s appeal as demand for hybrid-electric vehicles reaches record levels.
Production stays in North America. The new hybrid power unit will be built at the Honda Transmission Plant in Ohio, where hybrid system capacity is set to increase 250% in the coming years, and the Anna Engine Plant is retooling a line for the next-generation four-cylinder Atkinson-cycle engine. The CR-V will continue to be built at the East Liberty Auto Plant in Ohio, the Indiana Auto Plant and Honda of Canada Mfg.
For dealers, hybrids now represent about 30% of all Honda brand sales. Honda set back-to-back hybrid sales records in 2024 and 2025 and is on track for another record year in 2026, and it says hybrid and SUV consideration are at all-time highs.
