New models using the system arrive globally from 2027, mostly aimed at North America.
Honda announced on 9 October 2026 that its next-generation hybrid system will be called Honda Hybrid. Models using it start rolling out globally in 2027, and Honda plans 15 of them by the end of the fiscal year ending 31 March 2030, primarily in North America.
Honda has given its next-generation hybrid system a name: Honda Hybrid. The company announced it on 9 October, saying new models carrying the system will roll out globally from 2027.
Honda plans 15 next-generation hybrid models with Honda Hybrid worldwide by the end of the fiscal year ending 31 March 2030, primarily in North America. It did not name the models in the announcement.
What is new
The system builds on the technology of e:HEV, Honda's own two-motor hybrid. Honda says it has widened the engine's high-efficiency operating range and made the drive unit more efficient and smaller, all in aid of better fuel economy. It describes the aim as pairing low consumption with driving that engages the senses.
Honda says it advanced key components of e:HEV, among them the engine and drive unit, along with the control technologies. e:HEV is the name Honda has used for its two-motor hybrid since 2020.
The name is meant to say more to customers around the world, and it will double as the communication name for the technology. The move follows a shift of development and production resources towards hybrids, part of the roadmap to rebuild its car business that Honda announced in May 2026.
New platform and driving hardware
The hybrids will sit on a newly developed platform. Honda says a fresh approach to managing body rigidity balances stiffness and low weight, and gives the body a controlled flex through corners that helps roadholding.
Two further pieces of technology are named: the Motion Management System, which Honda describes as its own integrated control technology, and a newly developed electric all-wheel-drive system, e-AWD. Honda says together they are meant to give a high-quality, exhilarating drive at the driver's will, with peace of mind.
How Honda's hybrids have developed
| System | Introduced | Layout |
|---|---|---|
| IMA (Integrated Motor Assist) | 1999, first-generation Insight | Lightweight, compact parallel hybrid; engine leads, motor assists at start-up and in acceleration |
| Sport Hybrid i-DCD | 2012 | One motor in a 7-speed dual-clutch transmission |
| Sport Hybrid i-MMD | 2012 | Two motors, generator and traction; called e:HEV from 2020 onward |
| Sport Hybrid SH-AWD | 2012 | Engine plus three motors, with left and right motors for torque vectoring |
| Honda Hybrid | Announced 2026 | Further development of e:HEV's engine, drive unit and controls |
Honda lists Honda Hybrid as the latest step in that line, announced in 2026, and the company says the name will serve as the shorthand it uses with customers worldwide.
