Honda: hybrids, plug-ins, fuel cells to be two-thirds of Europe sales by 2025Honda: hybrids, plug-ins, fuel cells to be two-thirds of Europe sales by 2025

Honda’s green-car strategy for the next decade or so appears to be coming into greater focus.
In place of its previous mild hybrids, the Japanese automaker is planning to produce much higher volumes of its two-motor hybrid powertrain, as seen first in the Accord Hybrid mid-size sedan.
It also launched the Clarity Fuel Cell sedan last year, and will add plug-in hybrid and battery-electric variants of that model as well.
DON’T MISS: Honda hybrid minivan, SUV, or pickup coming; dedicated hybrid in 2018 too
While most of these vehicles aren’t on sale yet—or at least not in large volumes—Honda has already committed to an ambitious sales goal.
The automaker expects two-thirds of the cars it sells in Europe to have electrified powertrains by 2025, Katsuchi Inoue, Honda Motors Europe president and COO, said in remarks at the 2017 Geneva Motor Show.
The term “electrified” in this case encompasses hybrids, plug-in hybrids, and battery-electric and hydrogen fuel-cell cars.
2017 Honda Clarity Fuel Cell
Deliveries of the Clarity Fuel Cell sedan began in Europe near the end of last year, but fuel-cell vehicles will likely make up a small share of Honda’s planned green-car sales for the next few years.
That’s owing to the lack of hydrogen fueling infrastructure in most markets, as well as the relatively high cost and low-volume production of the Clarity and other current-generation fuel-cell cars.
Honda doesn’t expect the first hybrids with its two-motor hybrid system to go on sale in Europe until 2018.
ALSO SEE: First 2017 Honda Clarity Fuel Cell sedans delivered in California (Dec 2016)
From there, the carmaker plans to apply hybrid powertrains “across its automobile range,” a company press release said.
At some unspecified time, Honda will also begin introducing battery-electric and plug-in hybrid models to its European lineup.
The Clarity Plug-In Hybrid and Clarity EV are both expected to go on sale in the U.S. later this year.
2017 Honda Accord Hybrid
A recent report indicated the all-electric Clarity EV could have a range of only 80 miles, which would seem to put it at a disadvantage as other automakers aim for ever-greater range with their electric models.
The European-market announcement of vastly-expanded green-car sales echoes comments made by Honda president and CEO Takahiro Hachigo last year.
CHECK OUT: Two-Thirds Of 2030 Hondas Will Be Electrified Or Zero Emission: CEO (Feb 2016)
In February 2016, he said Honda would “strive” to make two-thirds of the cars it sold worldwide electrified in some way by “around 2030.”
Besides the Clarity Plug-In Hybrid and Clarity EV, Honda has at least one more green car waiting in the wings.
2017 Honda Accord Hybrid
At the 2017 Detroit Auto Show in January, Honda announced that it will launch a new dedicated hybrid vehicle next year, to be made at an existing factory in the U.S.
It also said it would expand use of its two-motor hybrid system from passenger cars into its “light-truck lineup” in the future.
That hints at the possibility of a hybrid minivan, SUV, or pickup truck from the Japanese automaker.
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