Honda CEO announces 2018 Honda Accord will debut this year

U.S. market to get the redesigned model first.

After the all-new Honda Civic Type-R in March, as expected, Honda will unveil the next-gen Honda Accord this year, Honda Motor President & CEO Mr Takahiro Hachigo announced at the Honda Meeting 2017 today.

The Honda Accord will move to its tenth generation this year. With this full model change, the mid-size sedan will adopt a revolutionary design likely with some cues borrowed from the tenth generation Honda Civic for the face, a fastback silhouette and a steeply raked back glass.

The other global new generation or completely new Honda models scheduled after the next-gen Accord will look a lot different, as Mr Hachigo announced today that the company will launch its new design direction, a concept model we assume, at an auto show this fall.

The next-gen Honda Accord will utilise the Honda Civic and Honda CR-V's platform as its basis. Its range could start with the Civic and Accord's 1.5-litre turbocharged four-cylinder petrol engine. While Toyota claims the American customers love V6 engines too much to drop it in favour of a smaller capacity turbocharged engine in the Camry, rumours suggest Honda might replace the Accord's V6 engine with a less extreme version of the Honda Civic Type R's 2.0-litre turbocharged four-cylinder engine. Honda could offer a naturally aspirated engine in some markets, particularly in Asia.

The hybrid model should continue with an upgrade to the i-MMD petrol-electric twin-motor system, but the plug-in hybrid model is unlikely to return with the lifecycle change, as the Honda Clarity Plug-in Hybrid has taken its place.

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Mr Hachigo has said that the Honda Accord will undergo the next major redesign starting from the U.S. market this year. Markets in Asia, Oceania and other regions could get their versions starting next year.