Honda shoots from selling diesel CR-V
Honda replaces the diesel version of the crossover CR-V in Europe with a hybrid option.
European sales of diesel vehicles are reduced, because customers are afraid about a possible ban diesels in cities to reduce harmful emissions.
"Our focus is on the electrification of Europe ", - said the representative of Honda.
Honda will show a concept near-production CR-V with a hybrid powertrain at the Frankfurt motor show next week. It says that the prototype anticipates the hybrid technology, which will first be offered in one of their SUVs in Europe.
In the hybrid, the CR-V uses a 2.0-liter gasoline engine paired with an electric motor fed by battery pack. The battery is charged exclusively with the movement. Honda claims that the new CR-V will be offered with a 1.5-liter gasoline turbo engine. Representative Honda said that in the future "no plans" to offer a diesel engine.
The decline in sales of diesel cars is a risky move in the European compact SUV segment, where the share of diesels in the first half amounted to 63 percent, compared to 71 per cent in 2016.
Last year, the share of diesel Honda was 23 percent across Europe, and it rose to 63 percent for the CR-V, says the company.
Honda was a hybrid pioneer in Europe, but lost its petrol-electric models due to slow sales in 2014. Returning to the hybrid propulsion, the company will hope to emulate the Japanese rival Toyota, which saw consumers abandon the diesel models.
The decision of Toyota to offer a diesel version of Audi SU-SUV seems to have paid off after the first seven months in Europe, it sold 70 702 units of the car.
Toyota said that in the UK a hybrid version of its larger RAV4, a direct competitor to CR-V, accounted for 65 per cent of British sales for the model up to August. The diesel version accounted for 25 percent, and clean diesel models 10 - percent.
New CR-V Honda will be in Japan for European markets, but not at the Honda plant in the UK in Swindon, which produces the current model.
New CR-V will go on sale in European markets in the second half of next year. His appearance in Frankfurt for the first time in Europe demonstrated in Europe after its launch in the US late last year.
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