The Japanese automaker Honda had a fantastic year in 2022, at least as far as the North American market is concerned. But over the first months of 2023, it lost momentum as Toyota swept by it. So, perhaps it may be time to recapture the initiative, even if only virtually.
Last year, Honda announced novelties for the US market, such as the all-new HR-V, which is now based on the eleventh-gen Civic compact car rather than a subcompact platform as before. The global HR-V soldiers on, indeed, but now the North American HR-V is twinned with the international ZR-V nameplate, probably just for the sake of confusion.
Then the Rising Sun automaker went on a spree, presenting the latest (and arguably greatest) CR-V compact crossover SUV to do proper battle with the Toyota RAV4, the Civic Type R to fight the GR Corolla hot hatchback, the newest Accord Sedan to brawl with the Toyota Camry, and even the mighty Pilot three-row mid-size CUV, including in TrailSport form. But was that enough to assume glory?
Not at all, since Toyota immediately countered with the return of the Crown nameplate as the S235 crossover-sedan, the Prius 'Hybrid Reborn,' including in Prius Prime PHEV attire, the Corolla Cross Hybrid compact CUV, plus the mighty 362-hp Hybrid Max 2024 Grand Highlander family-oriented SUV, among others. And they will hit the motherload soon with the 2024 Tacoma, the fourth generation of the best-selling mid-size pickup truck – and we all know there is nothing a unibody Honda Ridgeline can do about it.
As such, would it be possible to recapture the spotlight in a most unusual way? If we trust the imaginative realm of digital car content creators, there is. And chief among them in this particular Honda case are the good folks over at the AutoYa info channel on YouTube, who again have imagined the CGI looks of the unreleased and unannounced 2024 HR-V Type R high-performance crossover SUV. Yep, that starkly contrasts the OEM 2024 Honda HR-V, which got more expensive but did not bring anything new into the fold.
Anyway, the resident pixel master of the YT channel has been at work for a long time trying to transform Honda models into feisty Type R derivatives – and we have already seen the HR-V take that road alongside the CR-V, Accord, and the big Pilot. But now, there is a fresh CGI approach to the HR-V matters, as the sporty CUV is presented not just with the traditional unofficial color reel but also from all angles and even from the inside.
So, do we give it our virtual hall pass in the hope that Honda might take notice and start using the FL5 Civic Type R 2.0-liter K20C1 turbocharged inline-four mill for its big sedan and crossovers, perhaps with even more power than even the US or European ratings of 315 and 326 horsepower, respectively?
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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