30/11/2025

theSunday Special XIV ON SUNDAY NOV 30, 2025

rigidity and suspension tuning is the key to improve the driveability of a car. But Honda is now saying no! Honda’s next generation medium sized platform that will underpin models like the next generation Civic and CR-V is set to be introduced in 2027. This new platform will focus on lowering weight, improving driving dynamics, lower cabin noise and vibration, as well as lower manufacturing cost. But more importantly, it is going to achieve this by introducing flex. You read that right, Honda wants its platform to be able to twist and bend while cornering, par ticularly at the front of the car. Engineers will usually stiffen a body around the engine and areas that are prone to deform when cornering. But now, Honda’s engineers have shifted rigidity to key areas around the front of the car. HOW DOES THIS HELP? Imagine this – you are driving into a fast right-hand corner. With Honda’s new platform, the left front of the car will deform slightly to push the front left wheel down. This enlarges the contact patch of the tyre, thus stabilising the car and giving you more grip and confidence in that corner. It is simple yet genius at the same time. But besides giving you better handling, it should also be more comfortable as a flexi ble platform will be able to better absorb hits and bumps. On top of that, this reduces the overall weight of the car by an incredible 90kg compared to the current platform, improv ing efficiency in the process. Talking about efficiency, this new plat form will also increase the percentage of parts that are shared among Honda models. In fact, Honda is aiming for parts common ality of more than 60% across all models that use this new platform. This will then enable the efficient pro duction of distinctive and diverse models while keeping cost down. It is not all about flex and cost reduction though. Honda also plans to introduce clever new technologies that will also improve the joy of driving their cars. These new technologies include Motion Management System that improves pos ture, and a new pitch control technology that will work concurrently with the current Agile Handling Assist system. The latter was introduced in the new Prelude and Accord and works to support smoother vehicle behaviour during corner ing. A NEW, LARGE HYBRID SYSTEM Besides the new platforms, Honda is also working on the next-generation of its large, V6 engines. It is important to note that this engine is unlikely to be made available for Malaysian buyers due to the simple fact that the models powered by Honda’s V6 engines are all unavailable here. Models like the Honda Pilot, Odyssey, Passport or even some of the Acura models all use a V6 engine, and none of those mod els are available in Malaysia. Still, it is worth mentioning that Honda is refining this engine in the name of effi ciency and joy of driving. During its product presentation on the new engine, Honda’s engineers made no mention of engine displacement. However, we do know that this engine will be part of an elaborate hybrid powertrain with what looks like a rear-mounted electric motor,

Honda’s next generation platforms will have some flex for better driving dynamics.

Honda’s next generation platforms will offer a better driving experience.

Honda Civic. When queried, Honda’s engineers were reluctant to confirm the model, but it was quite obviously a Civic from the taillights as well as from bits and pieces of the inte rior. But it was just a Civic in body, because what lay underneath made it an entirely dif ferent machine. Unlike the current Civic, this model sounded sportier especially dur ing acceleration, felt sharper during corner entry and just felt a lot more eager to be driven fast. It felt like Honda had finally figured out the one thing that the current Civic does not have, character. And if Honda manages to programme such a character into all its car’s then we are in for a treat. The other thing that I experienced is something called S+ Shift (pronounced as S Plus). This is basically a collection of drive modes as well as intelligent wizardry designed to make your mind believe that you are actually driving a fire breathing monster when all you’re doing is driving a Honda hybrid. I experienced Honda’s S+ Shift in the new Prelude (I’ll detail my experience with that car in a different article) and was blown away by the experience. The new Prelude is powered by Honda’s hybrid powertrain, which means that the wheels are driven directly by an electric motor and there is no gearbox. The 2.0-litre naturally-aspirated engine

possibly for added towing and off- road grunt. Honda did not share much in terms of the tech for the powertrain, but it did men tion that the engine will power the next generation large hybrid models and will have improved fuel efficiency by as much as 30%. But this does not mean that performance will take a hit, instead Honda says that it is striving to improve full-throttle accelera tion by more than 10% compared to exist ing large-sized hybrid models. HONDA WANTS TO REINTRODUCE THE JOY OF DRIVING, AS WELL Among the many powerpoint slides that I sat through, there were three recurring themes, efficiency, electrification, as well as the joy of driving. Honda is serious about all three ele ments and understands that EV’s and hybrids can be dull to drive. But it has fig ured out how to make driving them a lot more interesting. And that is by introducing elements that we love from cars with an internal combus tion engine to EV’s and hybrids. Let’s get straight to the point, besides improving handling and power, Honda also wants to introduce the feel of gears shifting, even though there is no gearbox in any EV or hybrids. Part of the programme at Honda’s Tochigi proving ground included driving a prototype model of what looked like the

is not exactly spirited by itself either. But the S+ Shift worked wonders by making the engine sound a lot sportier than it actually is. This sound is channelled into the cabin through the speakers. But before you say this is not new technology, this augmented sound is paired with simulated gearshifts. Honda has managed to perfectly mimic gearshifts complete with power cuts (or fuel cuts if you are so inclined), downshift blips and such. The sound and the feel is intoxicating, and this is exactly what Honda means by joy of driving. So, Honda may be adopting hybrid pow ertrains, but it has not forgotten to have fun, and it does not want you to forget the joy of driving either. WHAT ABOUT ELECTRIFICATION THOUGH? Honda believes in letting its customers decide which powertrain they want rather than dictate to them what they should be driving. Hence Honda is busy building the next generation of electric cars using some thing called the 0 series platform. From this, there will be sedans, and large and medium sized SUVs as well. In fact, we also drove the Super One Prototype, a small electric kei car that is also a joy to drive. So Honda has all its bases covered and unlike some other car makers, it has not forgotten how to have fun along the way.