Honda announced its outlook for 2024, including several new and revamped models.
With 2023 in the rear view, automakers are taking stock and looking to the year ahead. Honda, for its part, announced its projections for the next 12 months and beyond, including a projected 1.4 million sales across the Honda and Acura brands. What we’re particularly focused on, though, is what new models are coming down the pipeline to drive that momentum over the next year or so.
For the next few months, we’ll finally see models we’ve been expecting actually hit the streets. First up, Honda mentioned the Civic Hybrid, which effectively replaces the now-defunct Insight for our market. It’s not the first Civic Hybrid to go on sale here, but this gas-electric version of the eleventh-generation model will continue to expand the brand’s competitive portfolio against Toyota, with the CR-V Hybrid already being the best-selling hybrid model in America. Honda said it expects the Civic Hybrid to comprise about 40% of total sales when it launches this summer.
In the coming months, the 2024 Honda Prologue EV will also hit the scenes. If you’re looking to make the full electric jump, this will be Honda’s first volume model (at least compared to its past efforts like the Clarity Electric, which was only available for a short time in California). The automaker is planning a gradual rollout of its new EV, built around GM’s Ultium platform, with the first examples available in California and a handful of other higher-demand EV states, like Texas and Florida. Honda will eventually make a nationwide rollout, but that will only “follow the initial allocation”, meaning you may have to wait a bit if you live in a less EV-heavy market. Odds are, you probably aren’t shopping for an EV if you live somewhere with lighter charging infrastructure, anyway.
Honda also said it is consolidating its electric production lines around a new “EV Hub” in Ohio, as it readies new EV production. A production version of the “Series 0” Saloon the company debuted at CES will go on sale in 2026.
Rounding out its electrification plans this year, the new hydrogen-powered Honda CR-V Fuel Cell Vehicle (PCEV) will go on sale this year.
Honda is also readying a new Passport, updated Odyssey
While the Civic and CR-V are Honda’s volume sellers, the company is still addressing other segments in 2024 as well. There’s a new version of the Passport SUV coming, though the company did not share any technical details. Senior VP of Sales Mamadou Diallo spoke to this new model’s rugged capability, and an early sketch suggests the new model will take on a far boxier design akin to the Hyundai Santa Fe XRT. At any rate, we may see a new Passport that distinguishes itself a bit more from the three-row Pilot, instead of effectively being a shorter two-row version of the long-running family hauler.
Speaking to an email I received this week from an interested viewer, Honda did mention it will update the Odyssey in 2024. However, while the company did launch a hybridized version in Japan, it doesn’t sound like we’ll see the same model over here. Specifically, Honda mentioned “styling and technology enhancements to maintain its competitiveness in the minivan segment”, but nothing there suggests we’ll see a new powertrain. It could happen, but it’s more likely based on the statement that the American-market Odyssey will see a light facelift this year, and that’s it.
What’s happening with Acura? Crossovers, crossovers, crossovers
While the past couple years have brought us the excellent (if underrated) Acura TLX and the resurrected Integra, the brand is focusing on its real money-makers in 2024: crossovers.
To that end, we’ll see the first electric Acura SUV, the ZDX, launch in the coming months. Beyond that, the company says we’ll also see “significant updates” to the three-row MDX SUV. That includes a new Bang and Olufsen audio system (which is premiering on the ZDX), as well as a Google-built in infotainment system and a “more advanced” AcuraWatch suite of features. If you’re not a huge fan of Acura’s touchpad system, there’s also good news! The automaker is dropping that setup for a new touchscreen interface with a “more usable” center console. Weirdly, they didn’t do that for the updated TLX, but it is what it is.
The RDX will also see some upgrades, the automaker says, “to enhance its appeal and functionality.” Again, it sounds like the brand’s rival to the Lexus NX, BMW X3, Audi Q5 and Mercedes-Benz GLC (among others) will get a light refresh.
One all-new Acura crossover is coming down the pike, however. This new model will debut later in the year, and Acura says it will be “positioned at the gateway of the lineup alongside the Integra.” In lay terms, expect a small, relatively inexpensive crossover below the RDX.
It sounds like we’ll be busy on Honda events over the coming months, so stay tuned for more updates. In fact, we are actually driving the new Prologue soon, and you can see the initial details below.
