Next Honda CR-V reportedly due for production in February 2027

CR-V production reportedly brought forward

Honda’s next-generation CR-V hybrid is reportedly moving towards production sooner than planned. CarExpert, citing Nikkei Asia, says the seventh-generation SUV is now scheduled to start production in Canada in February 2027, a couple of months earlier than previously expected. Production in the US states of Ohio and Indiana is reportedly scheduled to follow in March. Carscoops separately reports the February Canadian start, also attributing the timing to Nikkei Asia. These are reported production plans, not an Australian launch announcement. ¹⁴

The Canadian timetable does not establish when the new CR-V could reach Australia. CarExpert says the current Australian-market CR-V is supplied from Thailand and that the start date for Thai production of its replacement is unclear. It notes that Canadian production of the current generation began about a year before Thai production, but that historical gap is not a timetable for the new model. ¹

What is planned for the new hybrid system

The reported CR-V timing sits alongside Honda’s broader hybrid program. In its May business briefing, as reported by paultan.org, Honda targeted a 10 per cent improvement in fuel economy for its next-generation hybrid powertrain in combination with a new platform and electric all-wheel drive. It also aimed to cut costs by more than 30 per cent against its current e:HEV system. Those are manufacturer targets, not measured results for a production CR-V. CarExpert reports Honda’s claim that the next drivetrain will be about 30 per cent cheaper to produce. ³¹

Carscoops reports that the next hybrid system is expected to use an updated 2.0-litre four-cylinder engine with direct injection and new electric motors. CarExpert says the seventh-generation CR-V will likely use Honda’s new mid-size architecture, which Honda claims is around 90kg lighter than the current platform used by the CR-V and Civic. Neither report establishes a final Australian-market power output or fuel-consumption figure for the new SUV. ⁴¹

Larger Avancier also reported for 2027

A second SUV is also in the reported production schedule. CarExpert says Nikkei Asia has backed earlier reports that Honda will begin making a new, larger-than-CR-V three-row hybrid in Thailand in early 2027, with the Avancier name expected. In June, CarExpert attributed the early-2027 Thai production plan to Filipino publication Autoindustriya and reported a separate Japanese-market launch expectation by the end of March 2027 from Creative Trend. Those dates concern production and a proposed market launch respectively; neither confirms an Australian release. ¹⁵

The proposed SUV would be distinct from the existing Chinese-market Avancier. CarExpert says that model has two seating rows and is offered with non-hybrid petrol engines, whereas the reported replacement would have three rows and hybrid power. A September CarExpert report also cited Thai media expecting the new vehicle to debut before the end of 2026. A possible 2026 debut and reported early-2027 production start are different milestones, and neither date has been presented as an Australian delivery schedule. ⁵²

CarExpert reported in June that the new Avancier was expected to offer all-wheel drive and a 2.0-litre four-cylinder hybrid with two electric motors. Those details remain reports about the new model, not specifications carried over from the present Chinese-market vehicle. The publication says the current Australian CR-V is built in Thailand and that Honda has long imported vehicles from there, providing an established supply route if a right-hand-drive Avancier is selected for Australia. ⁵

HR-V confirmed for 2028

The smaller HR-V is on a different timetable. Paultan.org reported from Honda’s May business briefing that Honda confirmed an all-new HR-V for 2028, equipped with its next-generation hybrid powertrain and advanced driver assistance systems. The model is known as the Vezel in Japan. CarExpert describes it as the fourth-generation HR-V; the 2028 timing is for the new model’s introduction, not a stated Australian delivery date. ³¹

Honda’s plans extend beyond these SUVs. According to paultan.org’s account of the briefing, the company plans to launch 15 hybrid models from 2027 to 2029, with the US a priority market. It also intends to introduce hybrids in larger vehicle classes there from 2029. Those program targets do not specify which models Australia will receive. ³

Australian range remains undecided

Honda Australia director Robert Thorp told CarExpert in September that the company was considering a range of models for 2027 and 2028, without identifying them. CarExpert reports that an Australian Avancier has not been confirmed, while the timing of Thai production of the next CR-V remains unclear. For now, the reported North American CR-V production dates, the proposed Thai Avancier schedule and Honda’s confirmed 2028 HR-V plan do not amount to local launch dates. ²¹