New Honda CR-V to Debut This Year, Pilot Getting Refresh

Colum Wood
by Colum Wood
2011 Honda CR-V (EX-L with Navigation).

Having just launched the new 2012 Civic, Honda will introduce its soft-roader variant near the end of this year. The 2012 (or possibly 2013) CR-V is expected to undergo a long series of upgrades with minor style changes and little expected in terms of upgrades to the engine.

The 2012 CR-V should be lighter than the current model and look for fuel economy gains that could push the car to 30-mpg. We’d also expected to see the new i-MID telematics system make its way into the cabin.

The news was given during a briefing on the new Civic by Ameircan Honda Motor Co. sales boss John Mendel, who commented that after exploring some niche markets with cars like the CR-Z and Crosstour, it has now begun to focus on updating volume models with a major refresh on 88 percent of its models expected over the next few years.

While in many respects Honda seems to be struggling as of late with stiff competition from Hyundai and even from domestic automakers, Mendel says when it comes to retail sales the brand leads in five of the seven segment it competes in. Included in that is the compact crossover segment where the CR-V is on track to be the best selling crossover for the 5th straight model year.

In addition to a new CR-V, Honda will also debut a significant refresh for the Pilot SUV before year end.

Colum Wood
Colum Wood

With AutoGuide from its launch, Colum previously acted as Editor-in-Chief of Modified Luxury & Exotics magazine where he became a certifiable car snob driving supercars like the Koenigsegg CCX and racing down the autobahn in anything over 500 hp. He has won numerous automotive journalism awards including the Best Video Journalism Award in 2014 and 2015 from the Automotive Journalists Association of Canada (AJAC). Colum founded Geared Content Studios, VerticalScope's in-house branded content division and works to find ways to integrate brands organically into content.

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  • Almprin06 Almprin06 on Apr 29, 2011

    I really hope Honda doesn't cheapen the interior of the next CR-V like they did with the 2012 Civic.

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