Recently, China Central Radio and Television’s annual blockbuster event "China Automobile Festival" came to an end, and some powerful models that have attracted much attention from users have also lived up to expectations to win awards again. Among them, the new generation CR-V from Dongfeng Honda won the "Best SUV of the Year" award – it is worth mentioning that this is the second time after the Dongfeng HondaCR-V won the "Best SUV of the Year" in CCTV’s "2020 China Automobile Festival" in January 2021.
As we all know, the SUV segment has played the role of the core incremental market in the past more than 10 years, and it has won the best of the year twice, indicating that the CR-V, a global strategic model, has been widely recognized by Chinese users and has become a benchmark model for urban SUVs. But for the new generation of CR-V, this award also has special significance – the current car covers the diversified layout of fuel, hybrid and plug-in hybrid power systems in terms of power, which makes it the vanguard of Dongfeng Honda’s electrification transformation.
Diversified power, ushering in a new era
Winning the award from China Central Radio and Television is closely related to the product strength of the new generation CR-V that keeps pace with the times.
The new generation CR-V SPORT TURBO uses a 1.5T direct injection VTEC turbocharged engine, matched with a G-Design Shift stepless gearbox, with a maximum power of 142kW and a maximum torque of 243N · m. This power system has been widely verified by users around the world, is mature and reliable, and also applies many technologies such as oblique current turbines, resulting in better acceleration response, further improvement of quietness, and a better user experience.
In order to adapt to the user requests of the electrification era, as early as two years ago, Dongfeng Honda introduced the leading electrification models for the new generation CR-V. In March this year, with the release of Dongfeng Honda’s strong electric intelligent hybrid technology brand, the new generation CR-V family also launched the CR-V e: PHEV model, which greatly increased the strength of the CR-V family again. Among them, the fourth-generation i-MMD dual-motor hybrid system equipped with the new generation CR-V e: PHEV is considered to be the core of Honda’s electrification strategy, which can provide users with a driving experience closer to EV models, achieve "high energy and low consumption", and at the same time have no so-called "battery life anxiety". In addition, the e: PHEV model adopts an adaptive shock absorption system, which electronically controls the attenuation force that matches the driving scene with vehicle information such as wheel speed, and is in line with the SPORT switch brought about by the highest level of mode switching of the car series to achieve "high stability" and "ride comfort".
The motor output gears of the new E-CVT have been changed from one set of gear meshing to two sets of high-speed and low-speed gear meshing, thus setting a better transmission ratio when directly connected at high-speed and low-speed. When cruising at high speed, the engine can enter the direct connection mode at a lower speed, and the power reserve is effectively improved. The maximum speed reaches 193 km/h, and the maximum speed for continuous driving is increased by 30% compared with the previous generation, and the high-speed performance is greatly improved.
The new generation of CR-V’s new low-speed engine direct connection mode realizes the direct engine connection drive during slow acceleration, which meets the power performance and improves the fuel economy. The special thing about this multi-power matrix is that the new generation of CR-V can cover the needs of different sub-segments of users – this is especially critical in the era of "scene travel". Users will only pay for their own travel scenarios, and this car just happens to be able to connect with different users in this regard. But this is not all about the new generation of CR-V – intelligence also plays a key role.
Intelligent deduction of safety first
The new generation of CR-V’s fuel version of the top model is equipped with the Honda SENSING 360 safety sensor system for the first time in the world. With the Honda CONNECT 3.0 intelligent guide interconnection, the intelligent level of this car has been greatly improved.
It should be pointed out that people do not have much doubts about car safety in the era of fuel vehicles – after all, engineers have been solving safety problems by inventing various vehicle-grade devices for the past hundred years. But in the age of intelligence, a common misconception is that people take the safety of a smart car for granted, even though the actual situation is not the case – intelligence is often applied to some fancy functions that are not practical and do not really serve the safety of the vehicle. Honda is trying to change this, and the masterpiece is the Honda SENSING 360 safety super-sensing system, which is highly intelligent to maximize the safety of the occupant and provide a superior driving experience.
This system applies Honda’s extensive knowledge and experience accumulated in the research and development of L3 autonomous driving technology, and effectively integrates with China’s advanced intelligent technology and resources to create an intelligent "safety" and "peace of mind" new experience for Chinese users. The system was first carried on the new generation CR-V (Zunyao version) model. The "Honda SENSING 360 Safety Ultra Sensing" system, through the forward-looking sensor camera and 1 millimeter wave radar + 4 angle radars, realizes 360-degree surrounding sensing, and the monitoring range and recognition accuracy are greatly improved. In particular, it strengthens the accident avoidance ability for intersections, reducing the risk of accidents while reducing the driving load. The system integrates various technologies such as CMBS anti-collision smart protection, FCTW travel prophet and LCCM lane change guard that are not available in competing products at the same level, as well as ALCA lane change smart driving and ACC Cornering speed Assist corner smart driving (also not available in competing products at the same level), making users’ driving easier. In addition, the new generation CR-V is also equipped with Honda CONNECT 3.0 intelligent guide interconnection system, which can realize innovative performance such as "AI intelligent main force" "daily life interconnection" "remote control" and "OTA online upgrade", creating a new smart travel experience for users.
Entering China for 19 years, harvesting 2.70 million users
Based on its comprehensive product capabilities, the new generation CR-V successfully won the "Best SUV of the Year" award of China Central Radio and Television for the second time, which is also in line with its global strategic model positioning. In fact, since entering the Chinese market, CR-V has always been the leader in the urban SUV market segment.
In October 1995, Honda released the first-generation CR-V model, and three years later became the sales champion among the same class of cars in the United States, with total annual sales exceeding 100,000. The second-generation CR-V offers two models: supercharged diesel engine and gasoline engine with i-VTEC technology. Especially the two-wheel drive version, which has carried out "urbanization" to the end, and won the title of the best SUV of the year in the authoritative magazine "Car and Driver" for two consecutive years. In 2004, Dongfeng Honda officially introduced the second-generation CR-V to China, opening up the Chinese urban SUV market in one fell swoop, creating a precedent for urban SUVs, and opening its glorious history. From 2007 to 2011, CR-V became the sales champion of the market segment for five consecutive years; in 2008, CR-V became the only "super five-star" model evaluated by C-NCAP with a total score of 50.6 points, escorting consumers’ lives with absolute safety.
In July 2017, the fifth-generation CR-V was prospectively equipped with a 240TURBO turbocharged engine for the first time, and matched with a CVT continuously variable transmission, which achieved low emissions and low fuel consumption at the same time. In addition, the SPORT HYBRID Rui · Hybrid was also launched, equipped with an advanced i-MMD dual-motor hybrid system, which was also the first in the world. At the same time, it is also equipped with Honda SENSING safety super sense, which further enhances safety and intelligence, ushering in the era of dual power with a new look.
On September 28, 2022, the "SUV new life definer" – Dongfeng Honda’s new generation CR-V was officially launched. The new generation CR-V SPORT TURBO was the first to launch. On March 10, 2023, the new generation CR-V e: PHEV was launched. The new car is equipped with e: PHEV strong electric intelligent hybrid technology – the fourth generation i-MMD dual-motor hybrid system. This year, Dongfeng Honda will also launch a new generation of CR-V e: HEV models. At this point, the diversified layout of the fuel, hybrid and plug-in hybrid power systems owned by the CR-V family has been upgraded again.
In the 19 years since entering China, CR-V has gained more than 2.70 million Chinese users with its outstanding product strength such as large space, strong power and comfort. "It has always been imitated and never surpassed". Now, the new generation CR-V has used multiple power to become the vanguard of Dongfeng Honda’s electrification transformation, laying the foundation for Dongfeng Honda’s next 20 years of development – winning the "Best SUV of the Year" of China Central Radio and Television is just the beginning, and there is a bigger vision waiting for the new generation CR-V to realize. (Dongfeng Honda, for pictures)