Does anyone remember what the sales chart for the North American market looked like after the first six months of the year? The data revealed an uptick in deliveries across almost every segment – and the biggest one even jumped 15%.
The crown was easily snatched by compact crossover SUVs with more than 1.24 million units, followed by full-size pickups at over 1.08 million deliveries and large CUVs at almost half of that (530k units)! As such, it's evident that compact CUVs are pretty fashionable in America, with nameplates like Tesla Model Y, Toyota RAV4, and Honda CR-V plus Nissan Rogue leading the pack.
Obviously, there's an age-old battle going on between the fifth-generation RAV4 (still holding great when considering it was launched in 2018) and the newly introduced sixth-generation Honda CR-V. The latter, produced in Canada (Alliston, Ontario at HCM) and the United States (two locations – ELAP in East Liberty, Ohio and HMIN in Greensburg, Indiana), has a chance of trying to surpass its lifetime rival, but only if it moves fast.
According to the rumor mill, Toyota will soon prepare either another major refresh to help it carry the banner for another couple of years or a complete redesign for the 2025 model year. That means customers will soon see it as a model with renewed appeal rather than something that features incremental updates over the predecessor MY. So, what could Honda do to win the battle?
Well, according to the imaginative realm of digital car content creators, they could and should take drastic action. For instance, how Toyota did with the 2024 Highlander and Grand Highlander or how Honda does in the mid-size crossover SUV sector with the Passport and Pilot – one shorter with five seats and one longer with space for seven people onboard.
Naturally, the AutoYa channel's resident pixel master proceeded to illustrate such a daring change of wheelbase and design. At the same time, the host explained the possible changes – little to no modifications ahead of the B-pillar, with all the action taking place at the rear. That would include elongated rear doors, a massive rear overhang to make way for XXL space in the trunk, plus a three-row arrangement with plenty of room for the rear seats.
Of course, that was not all. Instead, tradition calls for the video embedded below to include a sneak peek inside the cabin – this time focused on the new seating arrangement, plus an unofficial color reel as well as a quick comparison between the regular CR-V and the unannounced and unreleased 'Grand' CR-V or CR-V XL. Anyway, do take all this with a pinch of salt – perhaps an even bigger one than usual, as nothing is official from Honda, and not even the rumor mill has caught any whispers of any such long-wheelbase CR-V plans.
Aurel has aimed high all his life (literally, at 16 he was flying gliders all by himself) so in 2006 he switched careers and got hired as a writer at his favorite magazine. Since then, his work has been published both by print and online outlets, most recently right here, on autoevolution. Full profile
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