2024 Honda Accord coming to Australia with hybrid power only
The next-generation Honda Accord has been approved for sale in Australia with hybrid power ahead of a possible showroom arrival next year.
The 2024 Honda Accord is one step closer to Australia – government documents show – with hybrid propulsion only.
Honda is on track to deliver only 150 Accord sedans in Australia this year – priced from $57,900 to $61,900 drive-away – but the company appears to be preparing to bring the new-generation model, unveiled in the US last year, to local showrooms.
The Australian Government's motor-vehicle approval database shows one variant of the new Honda Accord has been certified for sale, powered by hybrid technology.
The Japanese car maker is yet to confirm Australian arrival timing for the Accord – and to date it has not announced if the car will even be sold locally.
However if history is a guide, it may be in showrooms in the first half of 2024 – as for recent Honda models there has been a gap of between four and seven months between submitting the approval papers, and the first vehicles arriving in showrooms.
As with the current model – and Japanese-market versions – the new Accord will be built in Thailand for Australia. US models will continue to be built in North America.
Prices are yet to be confirmed, and it remains to be seen if it is more expensive – and by how much – it is than the current Accord hybrid, which is priced from $61,900 drive-away.
The new Accord is a 'reskin' of its predecessor, with a new body and interior over lightly-revised underpinnings.
Using US specifications as a guide, the Accord hybrid will combine a 2.0-litre four-cylinder petrol engine with two electric motors for outputs of 152kW and 335Nm.
It is an evolution of the system in the current model. The 1.5-litre turbocharged four-cylinder petrol engine available in Australian models today will not continue to the next generation.
Available features in the Accord in Japan include a 12.3-inch infotainment touchscreen – the largest in a global-market Honda, incorporating Google software, downloadable over-the-air software updates, and wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto – and a 10.2-inch digital instrument display.
Compared to the US model, the Japanese version's interior includes a so-called ‘Experience Selection Dial’ – a customisable dial for controlling infotainment functions – and a push-button gear selector similar to other Honda hybrids, rather than a traditional gear stick.
Available safety features include autonomous emergency braking (with pedestrian, cyclist and motorcycle detection), long-range blind-spot monitoring, lane-keep assist, adaptive cruise control, traffic sign recognition, and traffic jam assist.
The 2024 Honda Accord is on sale in Japan now. Australian arrival timing is yet to be outlined.