The CR-V will be made in Ontario, Indiana and Ohio
The CR-V Hybrid will enter production in a month
The 2023 CR-V employs a number of new manufacturing techniques
Honda has begun producing the new 2023 CR-V in its Canadian manufacturing plant yesterday ahead of its commercial debut.
In order to meet the demand for the new generation of its most popular model, Honda will also produce the 2023 CR-V in Indiana and Ohio starting next week.
The hybrid version of the SUV, which will make its Canadian debut this year, will be added to the production run at all three plants in about a month, according to the automaker.
Speaking of this version, Honda wants it to account for half of all CR-V sales despite it being only available on the top-of-the-line Touring trim level.
The company says the beginning of production yesterday marked a number of firsts for the Canadian Plant in Alliston, Ontario.
Indeed, the 2023 CR-V has the largest hood of any prior CR-V, which meant engineers had to use thicker steel and a modified structure in order for it to be sufficiently rigid and maneuverable to navigate the factory’s existing machinery.
Similarly, the new CR-V uses an acoustic spray foam that has never been applied at the Alliston plant before in order to be quieter than the previous model when going down the road.
In addition, the technique employed to spot areas where the fit and finish need to be improved on customer vehicles is different from the one used previously.
Before, factory employees had to disassemble a pre-production model to be able to notice deficiencies and develop solutions to them. Now, a full-size replica of the vehicle is milled from a block of steel to ensure all of the proportions are optimal.
Then, employees can test-fit the interior and exterior panels to make sure their tolerances are satisfactory. According to Honda, this saves a substantial amount of time compared to the previous method.
The first units of the 2023 CR-V are expected to reach Honda dealers across North America by the end of the year.
