The Thin Green Line: 2018 Honda Accord Hybrid Heads to Dealers, Undercuts Nemesis in Price

The epic battle known as Honda Accord vs. Toyota Camry won’t end until we’re all sitting in the backseat of a driverless electric Ford shuttle bus, content in knowing we’re doing the right thing for society. Future cities, man.

Until then, there’s cars to sell, and nothing motivates buyers like price. As re-skinned and improved 2018 Honda Accord Hybrids head to dealer lots, the automaker has clearly staked itself out as the value green buy, slashing $4,505 from the previous model’s entry price. That puts the hybrid’s chief rival in an unenviable position. A base Camry hybrid now retails for considerably more, but, if overall sales numbers tell us anything, Toyota probably won’t break into a sweat after reading this news.

The new-for 2018 Accord Hybrid carries an MSRP of $25,100, plus $890 for destination. All told, you’re looking at $25,990 for a model with improved cabin volume, extra trunk space (now that Honda moved the battery below the rear seats), an a combined output of 212 horsepower and 232 lb-ft of torque. Honda’s two-motor hybrid system, which pairs with a 2.0-liter Atkinson-cycle four-cylinder and a continuously variable transmissions, returns 47 miles per gallon in all EPA testing categories. It also bests the Camry hybrid’s combined figure by 1 mpg.

Of course, ladelling extra goodies onto the Accord Hybrid sends the price sky-high, topping out at $35,600 (after destination fee) for a top-of-the-line Accord Hybrid Touring. The volume EX model carries an all-in sticker of $29,780.

In comparison, the Camry LE Hybrid leaves the lot for $28,695 after destination — a $2,705 jump from the base Accord hybrid. A mid-level Camry SE Hybrid retails for $30,395, while the top-shelf XLE model rings in at $33,145. It’s reasonable to assume that, on all but the entry-level models, style and content might play a larger role in the buyer’s mind than price.

We said Toyota probably won’t lie awake at night worrying about Honda’s price cutting, and there’s good reason for it. While Toyota and Honda continuously joust for top position in the midsize sedan segment, only one car — the Camry — has held the high ground this century. Still, both automakers boast midsize sales numbers that Chevrolet or Hyundai would kill for. In 2017, some 387,081 Americans picked up a Camry, compared to the 322,655 who bought an Accord. Hybrid sales alone won’t close that gap, and the gap’s widening.

Over the first two months of 2018, Accord sales fell 12.9 percent, year over year. Camry sales? They’re up 16.1 percent, year over year. This, despite the industry’s state of stagnation and the public’s growing revulsion to the three-box bodystyle. The new-for 2018 Camry may not have turned the midsize car segment around, but it did carve out an extra helping of sales for itself. How long this boost lasts remains to be seen.

[Images: Honda, Toyota]