Honda Made a CR-V Hybrid With 800-Hp, Sounds Like the Devil
Have you ever been in a Honda CR-V and thought, “Man, this car is nearly perfect, but I sure wish it would do 1,000 mph.”? Well, neither have I, but Honda’s HPD (Honda Performance Department) did and decided to make it a reality. Honda made a CR-V Hybrid with 800 hp, and it sounds more like an F1 car than a crossover.
What is HPD?
The Honda Performance Department is the performance arm of Honda. This group does off-road and track racers. You might have seen a Honda Civic Si or Type R racing car in the past; that’s HPD.
What did HPD do to this Honda Cr-V Hybrid?
The story is still being written on this 800-hp Honda CR-V Hybrid. UPDATE: The teasers have now turned into a full look at this bright flash that was once a CR-V Hybrid. In the video, you might think a Formula 1 car is about to pass the CR-V, but then you quickly realize what sounds like a whining V10 at Monza is actually coming from a crossover SUV. Frankly, what’s going on here is bonkers. Let’s get into it.
MotorTrend reports that Honda announced today that HPD’s CR-V will be a hybrid model good for as much as 800 horsepower, also working with Honda’s Auto Development Center (ADC) and North America Auto Design Division.
Honda hasn’t spilled the beans on how HPD is making that 800 hp yet, but by the sound of things, it sounds like it has something to do with F1.
What engine does the Honda CR-V Hybrid use?
The normal Honda CR-V Hybrid that we use in this reality is powered by a 204-hp engine. Of course, the Hybrid uses a mix of ICE and electric power, but there’s no way that’s what’s going on with the HPD version. There is a good chance the electric power is helping out a good bit, but even still, 204 hp to 800 hp is one Hell of a jump. Again, the sounds coming out of that monstrosity have something drinking fuel behind it. Whether or not it’s the CR-V’s normal 2.0-liter engine is still yet to be seen.
What else did HPD change?
While we still can’t answer that fully yet, the video does give a few hints that the answer might as well be everything but the name. We see a brief clip of the interior. Inside the monster CR-V hybrid is what looks like an F1 steering wheel, a full race cage, bucket seats with 5-point harnesses, and honestly, nothing that resembles a CR-V in any way.
The exterior is also a far cry from the bubbly crossover we are all used to. The bodywork misses no opportunities to be covered in aero surfaces, keeping the now true crossover glued to the ground. There are wings everywhere. Carbon fiber comes in waves. Lastly, the CR-V is slammed so low that driving through the Walmart parking lot might be difficult. Overall, this Honda CR-V Hybrid is a completely transformed asphalt eater from Hell.
Honda admits that while the bodywork and interior are still rough, it is still in the project phase. The HPD CR-V Hybrid will be revealed on Feb 28.
