2023 Honda CR-V Teased in Patent Drawing
The next-generation Honda CR-V should be unveiled this spring as it prepares to hit the market around summer for the 2023 model year. What will it look like? One thing’s for sure: styling needs to be improved, especially with other compact SUVs stepping up their game big time—think 2022 Hyundai Tucson and 2023 Kia Sportage.
A black-and-white patent drawing has apparently leaked online. According to Motor1, it seems to match the camouflaged prototypes its spy photographers have spotted lately. Remember, the same type of image surfaced in September 2020 and correctly previewed the new Civic.
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If this is indeed the 2023 Honda CR-V, we can see that the body is flatter than that of the outgoing generation, with a larger front grille in a honeycomb design flanked by slimmer headlights. Only part of the taillights is visible, but they seem to be more subtle while retaining their mostly vertical layout. As for the wheels, don’t pay too much attention to the generic alloys depicted here.
Overall, designers have incorporated more visual harmony and a bit more sophistication. Some people will likely find it too conservative, but Honda appears to be going with the same approach as the redesigned Civic.
CR-V Hybrid Coming to Canada
What else do we know about the upcoming 2023 Honda CR-V? Well, it will grow in size as will the smaller 2023 HR-V, which is expected to look way different from its predecessor.
As The Car Guide reported late last month, the big news is the addition of the CR-V Hybrid. After a few years being exclusively available in the U.S., the gas-electric variant will finally be built and sold in Canada, too.
Plant 2 in Alliston, Ontario is currently being retooled and upgraded. It will start by producing conventional CR-V models before adding hybrids. There will be a gradual ramp up, Honda Canada CEO Jean Marc Leclerc told us, but no target volume is specified at this point.
Competition in the segment is growing, what with the Toyota RAV4, Ford Escape, Hyundai Tucson and Mitsubishi Outlander all offering a hybrid variant in Canada. The Kia Sportage will soon join them.