Honda aims to phase out combustion engine cars by 2040

Honda plans to phase out combustion engine cars by 2040. The plan was drawn up by the new CEO of the Japanese automaker, Toshihiro Mibe.

Honda would be the first Japanese automaker to announce it will completely phase out combustion engine cars, Bloomberg reported . Mibe took office as the company’s new CEO on April 1, 2021, and already gave his new vision for the company that month . In Japan, only 1 percent of cars are currently electric.

Mibe does not expect that it will be easy to switch completely to making electric cars. He does, however, find it important that the targets set with regard to CO₂ emissions are achieved. The Japanese government wants to be climate neutral by 2050.

Last year Honda also announced its withdrawal from Formula 1 . This year will be the last season with Honda cars in the racing class.

Honda plans to launch several new electric vehicles over the next few years. This concerns both cars and motorcycles, which is still an important branch of the company. Of the annual turnover, about 14 percent comes from the production and sale of engines.

Honda’s plan is very different from the strategy of the other major Japanese car manufacturer Toyota. This manufacturer mainly wants to focus on hybrid cars and is also still developing hydrogen cars. That while Honda announced earlier this month that it would stop producing its hydrogen car, the Honda Clarity.