Honda Teases Avancier SUV With New Hybrid System Due From 2027
Honda teased an Avancier SUV that will use its next-generation Honda Hybrid system. Thai media report a Dec. 1 debut; U.S. plans are unannounced.
Honda has shown teaser pictures of a new SUV named Avancier, and Car and Driver and Autoweek both say the teaser makes clear it will be one of the first vehicles with Honda’s latest hybrid technology. No specifications are out, and Honda has not said if the SUV will go on sale in the United States.
Automotive News first reported that the name is coming back. Thai media reports say the Avancier will make its world debut at the Thailand International Motor Expo on Dec. 1.
What the teaser shows
Honda put the pictures on several of its worldwide social accounts. They depict an angular design whose narrow taillights are linked by a light strip spanning the rear. Car and Driver adds that the teaser features Honda’s streamlined “H” badge and design cues expected to shape later Civic and Accord models.
Reports suggest a three-row model positioned over the CR-V, though Honda has confirmed none of it. Car and Driver expects a seven-seater going after the Hyundai Santa Fe and Toyota Highlander.
A nameplate with two earlier lives
In Japan, the Avancier was a wagon sold between 1999 and 2003. Honda revived it in 2016 for a bigger, more premium crossover made for China. The coming SUV seems to take yet another path.
The Honda Hybrid system underneath
Last month Honda said its upcoming hybrid system will carry the name Honda Hybrid, rolling out worldwide from 2027; Car and Driver notes it replaces the e:HEV badge. By the close of fiscal 2029 Honda intends to bring 15 such models to market globally, focusing chiefly on North America.
The automaker’s goal is a system costing over 30 percent less than the one launched with the 2023 Accord, with fuel economy better by more than 10 percent. It relies on a reworked engine and hybrid drive unit and can be combined with a new electric all-wheel-drive setup.
This marks a change of direction. Honda, like its peers, had leaned heavily on EVs, but market shifts moved more of its development effort to hybrids. Every North American auto plant is to be able to build hybrids, and bigger hybrid models are expected there starting in 2029.
What this means for U.S. shoppers
No U.S. availability has been announced. Honda has said before that some of the new hybrids will be adapted to particular markets, so whether the SUV reaches American dealers is unclear. The company’s stated schedule for larger North American hybrids begins in 2029.
The Dec. 1 debut date comes from Thai media reports rather than from Honda.
Sources: Car and Driver, Autoweek
