Opinion – Eduardo Sodré: Honda confirms new HR-V and four more launches in Brazil until 2023

Honda’s car division completes 30 years of operations in Brazil in 2022. The celebrations began with strange numbers for the company’s history.

Its sales fell by 35% in the first quarter compared to the same period last year. The bad result, however, is explained by a strategic decision. It is a time of transition with an eye on the near future.

The automaker promotes the complete update of its product line in the country. After launching the new City and ending the production of the Fit compact and the Civic medium sedan at its factories in the interior of São Paulo, the Japanese brand confirms what its next steps will be.

The main novelty for Brazil will be the renewal of the HR-V compact utility vehicle, scheduled to debut in August. The most equipped versions will bring the new 1.5 turbo flex engine – until then, the turbocharged options of the Japanese brand were powered by gasoline. The arrival of this SUV closes the current cycle of R$ 1.1 billion in investments.

There will also be 1.5 flex aspirated configurations – it is the same 126 hp engine that equips the new City in hatch and sedan versions. With this, the old 1.8 will be retired.

After the end of national production, the mid-sized Civic sedan will return to the Brazilian market in the 11th generation. Imported from Canada, it debuts in the last quarter in a hybrid version. The 2.0 petrol engine runs most of the time with a generator for the electrical set.

It is the same combination available in the Accord e:HEV currently sold in Brazil. In urban use, this model averaged 28.5 km/l in the Folha-Mauá test.

In 2023, two new models arrive for the top of the line Honda: the new medium SUV CR-V – which will also be hybrid – and the sporty Civic Type-R.

The list of releases also includes the American version of the HR-V. Despite the common name, it is a completely different car from the national line.

While the Brazilian model uses the same platform as the City, the car available in the US is built on the basis of the Civic. It is therefore bigger.

In the face of so many launches, the first quarter of 2023 is expected to be very different for Honda. It remains to be seen how the supply of electronic components for the assembly of so many models here and abroad will be.

Atsushi Fujimoto​, the automaker’s new president in South America, believes that the semiconductor problem will not be resolved so quickly. In an interview this Tuesday (19), the executive said that the global demand for the brand’s cars is greater than the delivery capacity.