After slimming down its business throughput after switching to a fixed-price agency sales model, Honda Australia is now looking to ramp up its volume with a bevy of new-model activity.
Honda is firmly committing to the Australian market, revealing a model rollout plan that it hopes will propel the brand further up the sales charts from its current 19th position.
Announced at a media briefing last week, Honda Australia President and CEO Jay Joseph – who took the reins in April this year – would not be drawn on a sales target or ideal ranking for the brand, but conceded the business is, at present, underperforming.
“We know we can do better in terms of the number of customers we serve every year than we do today,” Joseph said.
“I don’t want to draw out a number or position, but we see significant opportunity for improvement by adding to our product line.”
In the short term, Honda Australia is reopening order books for the Civic Type R, due to be launched around August.
Unlike Europe however, which was forced to discontinue the hot hatch due to emissions regulations, Honda Australia will continue to offer the flagship Civic for “as long as possible”, according to Joseph.
Stock, like before, will be limited though, with Australian allocation dictated by global production capacity and market prioritisation.
Towards the end of the first quarter (January – March) next year, the facelifted CR-V and ZR-V SUVs will arrive in Australian showrooms, expanding hybrid offerings across more than just the top-spec variants.
The democratisation of hybrid engines is expected to push the fuel-sipping powertrain uptake rate from around 50 per cent this year to as high as 95 per cent in 2026.
At present, the most affordable ZR-V and CR-V hybrids are positioned at $54,900 drive-away and $59,900, respectively, and only offered as front-drive flagship models.
Honda Australia has now confirmed the ZR-V and CR-V updates will introduce all-wheel-drive hybrid versions, but whether it is offered on one or both models is still unclear.
Though not expected to contribute significantly to Honda Australia’s bottom line, the Prelude is predicted to have broad appeal as an automatic, front-drive, hybrid model with a sleek and sculpted body.
Towards the end of the next year, Honda Australia will also have its first battery electric vehicle (BEV) on sale, though it stopped short of confirming exactly what it will be.
Odds are the e:N1 already offered in New Zealand will make its way across the Tasman Sea as a tailpipe emissions-free small SUV competitor to the likes of the Kia EV3, BYD Atto 3, and next-generation Nissan Leaf.
The e:N1 is produced in Thailand for New Zealand, while in Europe the same model is known as the e:Ny1 and is built in China in partnership with Dongfeng and Guangqi.
Another electric vehicle (EV) possibility is the production version of the unnamed pre-production hatchback previewed at this year’s Goodwood Festival of Speed.
Beyond 2026, Honda is saying it wants to introduce new nameplates in new market segments, but is not yet ready to reveal exactly what cars are under study.
At present, the Honda Australia line-up services the small and large car segments with the Civic and Accord respectively, as well as the light, small, and mid-size SUV space with the HR-V, ZR-V, and CR-V.
However, the return of older nameplates like the Jazz and City city cars, and Odyssey people mover, has been ruled out for now.
For the first six months of the year, Honda Australia has amassed 8068 sales, down 7.3 per cent compared to the same period in 2024.
At its peak, Honda Australia sold 60,529 vehicles in 2007, but since switching to a fixed-price sales model in 2021, the brand has been targeting an annual figure of 20,000 units.
Last year, it sold 14,092 cars.
Tung Nguyen has been in the automotive journalism industry for over a decade, cutting his teeth at various publications before finding himself at Drive in 2024. With experience in news, feature, review, and advice writing, as well as video presentation skills, Tung is a do-it-all content creator. Tung’s love of cars first started as a child watching Transformers on Saturday mornings, as well as countless hours on PlayStation’s Gran Turismo, meaning his dream car is a Nissan GT-R, with a Liberty Walk widebody kit, of course.
