The next few months will see Honda unveiling the eleventh-generation Accord. And, given the carmaker’s recent introduction of the 2023 Civic Type R, an enthusiast may wonder if this will lend its performance powertrain to the larger model for a spectacular 2024 Honda Accord Type R.
With the current, tenth-gen Accord having only entered production in 2017, the arrival of a new model seems early, especially since the global health crisis and the chip shortage mean the past few years haven’t exactly been lucrative for the car industry. Nevertheless, prototypes of the 2024 Accord have been spotted and these appear to be in their final form underneath the heavy camo.
However, this rendering helps us digitally remove that camouflage. As you would imagine, the styling language used on the new Civic will also find its way onto the Accord.
And while the evolutionary rather than revolutionary styling update is owed to the short life cycle of the retiring model, this CGI work (pixel tip to AutoYa) also adds Civic Type R elements to the mix. We’re referring to the hood, the front grille and apron, the side skirts, the wheels, and, of course, the rear wing.
The outgoing Accord already sports a Civic Type R engine, but it’s not quite the full-fat version
For the record, while Japan and Europe have enjoyed Type R Accords in the past, such a model was never offered in the US. Then again, the outgoing Accord’s top engine is a 2.0L Turbo VTEC four-cylinder borrowed from the ex-gen Civic Type R. And while the motor has been detuned from 306 to 252 hp, it still gifts the Accord with respectable driving dynamics, as this drag race against a 2022 Hyundai Elantra N demonstrates.
Now, while Honda has yet to unveil the performance figures for the 2023 Civic Type R, reports are talking about a minor bump to 325 hp. So, all the company would need to do in order to deliver a hot mid-size sedan would be to move that motor into the 2024 Accord unchanged.
However, with the market for performance sedans of the sort diminishing—the Mitsubishi Evo is long gone and Subaru no longer makes an STI version of the WRX—there’s little hope for a 2024 Accord Type R. Still, the virtual world has even prepared a fictional competitor for the Honda, namely a 2023 Toyota GR Camry featuring a Lotus V6.
Back in the real world, Honda is aiming to further develop the hybrid part of the next-generation Accord. So, in addition to the said 2.0L Turbo and the base 1.5L Turbo (which should jump from 192 to 200 hp), we’ll get a gas-electric setup and possibly even a plug-in hybrid. In fact, Honda could even be preparing a full-electric Accord for China—Mihnea sees the high trunk line shown by the prototypes as a potential a clue towards this.
