It’s sometimes incredible to see what automakers are willing to do to please a major market. We understand this because ultimately, it’s a question of profitability. When a primary market demands certain types of models, you stack the deck in your favor by offering them.
Honda wants to enhance the sound of its hybrid engines for Americans
New gen hybrids would offer a louder sound than that of the new Prelude
For Honda, satisfying the American market remains a question of profitability
Full-size pickup trucks and the North American market are a great example, as was, to a lesser extent, the Quebec reality with subcompacts. Let’s remember the Nissan Micra, a Canadian exclusive that was very popular in Quebec.
And according to a CarBuzz report, we’re about to see another such reality in the American market. This time, we’re not talking about a particular model type, but rather the treatment applied to a powertrain: Honda‘s hybrid engines.
The company promises that their sound will be louder to please the American public, which is more fond of thunderous engines.
Let’s face it, traditional hybrid engines typically offer us the opposite: silence and smoothness. Honda wants to do things differently to attract a wider audience.
It was a company engineer who shared this little “secret” with the CarBuzz website: “Americans like loud cars, so we had to make this one extra good for them.”
The engineer is referring to the sound played for a CarBuzz representative, from a prototype Honda is working on. According to the site, the sound from the model’s exhaust is more interesting than that of the new Prelude coupe.
The engine used was the 2.0-liter four-cylinder that powers the hybrid versions of the Accord and CR-V. Honda may offer this “new sound” on specific versions of its next-generation hybrid models.
What about Canada? We contacted the company’s Canadian division to learn more about the brand’s strategy. We will update this story when we receive an official response.
It will be interesting to watch what happens next, just as it would be fascinating to know whether Canadian and Quebec consumers would tend to choose hybrid models with a more guttural sound, or whether they prefer them as they are.
