Honda has teased images of the 10th generation Accord that will hit the market in the second half of this year in global markets. The new Accord will be offered with two new high-performance and fuel efficient turbocharged engine. A key new addition will be an all new 10-speed automatic transmission for the front-wheel drive variants, developed by Honda as well as a 6-speed manual transmission as standard. The 10-speed unit is claimed to be the industry-first for a front-wheel drive car. The car manufacturer will also launch the new-generation Accord with two-motor hybrid technology.
The engine options consist of a 1.5 litre direct-injected DOHC turbocharged unit with dual variable cam timing (dual VTC) that will be paired to a CVT (Continuously Variable Transmission) automatic or a 6-speed manual gearbox. The 2.0 litre direct-injected DOHC turbocharged with i-VTEC valvetrain unit will be mated to the new 10-speed automatic transmission or a 6-speed manual. The Accord Hybrid, on the other hand, will get Honda’s two-motor hybrid technology, which operates without the use of a conventional automatic transmission. This results in lower mechanical power losses and hence a higher percentage of efficiency.
The new 2018 Accord’s turbocharged engines will be manufactured at the company’s Anna, Ohio (US) engine plant, while the CVT transmission will be manufactured at Russells Point, Ohio plant. The new 10-speed automatic transmission will be produced at the Tallapoosa, Georgia plant. Honda had recently invested $149 million in the Russells Point and Tallapoosa plants to start the production of the new 10AT and its components.
The new Accord will be lower and wider than the present model with the design more inclined towards the traits of dynamism and sportiness. The company has not yet announced details about the interior and exterior of the upcoming 10th generation Honda Accord. With the launch slated for this year’s end though, it’s only a matter of few weeks before almost all details about this car are revealed.
In context of the India launch, the new-generation Honda Accord might need more time for a commercial launch. The company reintroduced the Accord in India last year with the Hybrid version and considering its limited sales and the small size of this segment, the Accord might be launched sometime in 2019 and that too without all the engine options mentioned above. At that time Honda Cars India might just go ahead with the cheapest engine available in the range in order to keep the price in check.
