Associates at the Anna Engine Plant assemble the Atkinson-cycle engine. PHOTO courtesy Honda.
Mass production of the all-new 2023 Honda CR-V hybrid began at Honda of Canada Mfg. (HCM), featuring a new two-motor hybrid system produced at Honda’s Ohio Transmission Plant (TMP-O), and a new Atkinson-cycle engine unique to hybrid models that is made at the Anna Engine Plant (AEP) in Ohio.
HCM is the global lead plant for CR-V hybrid production, the first time a hybrid has been built in Canada. The Indiana Auto Plant (IAP) and the East Liberty Auto Plant (ELP) in Ohio, which produced the previous CR-V Hybrid, will begin production of the 2023 CR-V hybrid in the coming months.
Representing a key step in Honda’s electrification strategy, starting with the 2023 model year, eventually about 50% of CR-V’s annual sales in North America will be powered by Honda’s new, more powerful fourth-generation two-motor hybrid-electric system.
“Knowing the importance CR-V hybrid is set to play to our overall electrification strategy, this is a proud moment for the Honda of Canada Mfg. team as we lead the start of the global production of CR-V hybrid,” said Clement D’Souza, senior vice president of HCM.
New Hybrid-Electric Powertrain Made in Ohio
All three plants producing CR-V in North America, HCM, IAP and ELP, worked in close collaboration with the Anna Engine Plant (AEP) and the Honda Transmission Plant in Ohio (TMP-O), which are responsible for the all-new powertrain for the latest Honda electrified vehicle.
With the sales plan of the new CR-V and Accord hybrid trims expected to represent about 50% of the sales mix of each model, and three different Honda plants in North America producing the new CR-V hybrid models, both AEP and TMP-O were required to dramatically increase production volume for the new engine and hybrid system. For AEP, this increase included more in-house production of engine components and an increase in local sourcing for parts previously supplied from Japan. For example, AEP is now producing the camshaft for the engine in-house, requiring new equipment and a higher number of processes for associates. TMP-O associates will be increasing production volume of the two-motor system 300% (from 500 to 1500 units per day) within just the first two to three months.
