At this year's New York International Auto Show, which officially gets underway on April 14, Toyota will be unveiling the latest iteration of its Sienna minivan while Honda will be using the event to showcase not one, but two new plug-in Clarity cars.
Despite endless talk of all-conquering crossovers and SUVs, the latest US sales figures show that the MPV or minivan is far from dead. In fact, with total sales of 553,913 over the course of 2016, the segment is actually growing again (up 8.1%) and it looks as if people who would have been weighing up the pros and cons of a subcompact are deciding a genuinely all-around family and activity car might be a better bet.
At the moment, the Toyota Sienna is America's most popular minivan (127,791 sold in 2016). So to ensure it keeps the top spot, the company has given the eight-seater a stylish external makeover and a high-tech interior boost.
And while the sharper front grille and sporty side sills make the car look more individual, the biggest upgrade is the addition of Toyota's Safety Sense (TSS-P) suite of active driver safety systems as standard equipment across the model range. This means that whatever the trim level, owners will get a pre-collision system with pedestrian detection, radar-guided cruise control and lane departure warning with steering assist.
Honda meanwhile will be using this year's show to launch its first-ever proper plug-in electric car. The Clarity Electric promises to be a genuinely affordable mid-size five-passenger car and one that will be trimmed in environmentally responsible materials. Also making its debut will be the Clarity Plug-in Hybrid, which will offer a 40 mile+ battery-only range before the gasoline engine kicks in to extend its range.
Demand for electric cars is growing in the US -- 144,455 plug-in hybrid (PHEV) and full battery electric (BEV) cars were sold over 2016 (a 30% jump). Analysts believe that the biggest obstacle to further growth is a lack of choice. There are currently just 30 PHEV and BEV models on sale in the US.
Honda's new cars will bring the choice up to 32 distinct vehicles while also extending its nascent Clarity range to three models -- a hydrogen fuel cell vehicle, a Plug-in Hybrid Electric vehicle and a Battery Electric vehicle.
Yet despite the choice, Honda itself expects the plug-in hybrid to prove the biggest initial seller until issues surrounding infrastructure for electric and fuel cell cars have been addressed.
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