TOKYO, JAPAN – Honda has given the world its first look at the car that will kick off its next generation of hybrids. The new Honda Avancier is a large, three-row family SUV, and it is the first model confirmed to use Honda’s all-new Honda Hybrid system, the technology that will underpin 15 new hybrid models around the world by the end of the decade.
Honda revealed the car through a “coming soon” teaser campaign of images and a short video on its official channels, including a press release from Honda Australia, which has confirmed the Avancier for its market. Full details will come closer to launch, but the teaser already tells us a lot about where Honda’s design and technology are heading.
“A new chapter for the brand, pointing to its future direction for design and innovation.”
Honda, on the Avancier
A famous name returns
The Avancier name has a history. It was first used on an Accord-based estate car sold only in Japan from 1999 into the early 2000s, a sleek, practical alternative to a traditional saloon. Honda revived the badge in 2016 for a China-only crossover. The new car is a very different proposition: a global model, built for families, and designed to show off Honda’s new design language for the first time.
What the teaser shows
Honda has only revealed parts of the car so far, but the details are striking. The Avancier has a long, low, wagon-like profile rather than the boxy look of a traditional seven-seater, with a sharply creased shoulder line running the length of the body and a rakish tailgate. At the rear, L-shaped tail-lights stand upright at the corners, framing a strong, angular D-pillar. At the front, slim horizontal lighting and crisp edges along the bonnet give it a clean, modern face.
It is a more dramatic look than any Honda SUV on sale today, and it signals how the brand wants its next generation of cars to stand out in a crowded segment.
The first of 15 next-generation hybrids
The bigger story sits under the bonnet. The Avancier is the first car confirmed with the new Honda Hybrid system, which replaces the e:HEV name used on today’s models. Honda plans to launch 15 next-generation hybrid models worldwide between 2027 and the end of March 2030, all sharing a new hybrid platform designed to be lighter and more rigid than before.
Technical details have not been released yet, but the system is expected to build on the principles of the current e:HEV set-up. In that layout, a petrol engine acts mostly as a generator, and two electric motors do the work: one charges the battery and the other drives the wheels. The new platform also supports Honda’s new electric all-wheel-drive system, which adds a motor on the rear axle, a natural fit for a large family SUV. Honda says its next-generation hybrid is designed to be the most efficient system of its kind while still being fun to drive.
A new cabin and new technology
The next-generation models will also bring a new interior approach. Honda has promised fewer but higher-quality materials and a cleaner, warmer cabin, alongside a new user interface with larger, brighter and more responsive screens. Much of this technology was developed alongside Honda’s 0 Series electric car programme. Honda has not yet shown the Avancier’s interior or confirmed its screen layout.
Who it is up against
With three rows of seats and a hybrid powertrain, the Avancier will take on some of the most popular family SUVs on the market, including the Hyundai Santa Fe, Kia Sorento, Toyota Kluger (sold as the Highlander in many markets) and Skoda Kodiaq. For Honda Australia it fills a long-standing gap: the brand has not offered a large three-row SUV there since the MDX was discontinued in 2007.
When it arrives
Honda has not given a full reveal date or launch timing yet. Regional reports suggest production could start in Thailand in early 2027, with a launch in Japan by the end of March 2027, and right-hand-drive production for markets such as Japan and Australia. Honda has not yet confirmed which other markets will get the car, and there is no word yet on the Middle East, where large family SUVs are among the best-selling cars. Pricing will be announced closer to launch.
What is clear is that the Avancier carries a lot of weight for Honda. As the first of a new family of hybrids, its design, efficiency and technology will set the tone for the cars that follow, from compact crossovers to the brand’s biggest SUVs.
Honda Avancier: what we know
- Type: Large three-row family SUV
- Powertrain: New Honda Hybrid system, first of 15 next-generation hybrids
- Platform: New lighter, more rigid hybrid platform, electric AWD capable
- Rivals: Hyundai Santa Fe, Kia Sorento, Toyota Kluger/Highlander, Skoda Kodiaq
- Timing: Production reportedly from early 2027
Photos show current Honda hybrid models, the Prelude and the CR-V e:HEV; Honda has so far released only teaser images of the Avancier.