Industry News · Friday, September 4, 2026

Stretch Lease Is Honda’s September Money Move. RAV4 Hybrid Is the Mix Pressure.

Three stories for anyone shopping a Honda in the GTA this week: a new lease length, a competitor record, and an industry month that still is not a reason to freeze.

By Henry Chen · Maple Honda, Vaughan · Published September 4, 2026
2026 Honda CR-V, the model sitting at the centre of Stretch Lease and the RAV4 Hybrid comparison

Photo: American Honda (Honda US Newsroom). 2026 Honda CR-V.

TL;DR

Today's stories
Story 1 · Offers

Honda Stretch Lease Adds 28- and 40-Month Terms

The advertised rate does not jump. You still make four extra payments. Compare 24 versus 28 on the same VIN.

Read the story →
Story 2 · Competitors

RAV4 Hybrid Hits a Fourth Straight Record Month

Toyota did not publish a standalone August unit count. Four consecutive record months is still the mix signal Honda has to answer.

Read the story →
Story 3 · Market

August Auto Sales Rose 5.4% From a Year Ago

Third consecutive gain, still short of the old August peak. DesRosiers says this month could come in lower. That is not a Honda APR rewrite.

Read the story →

The Through-Line

The Bank of Canada held the overnight rate at 2.25% on September 2. The next announcement is October 28, with the next Monetary Policy Report. That hold does not write your Civic or CR-V payment. Honda Canada already wrote September’s terms, including Stretch Lease on the models that carry it. Toyota Canada, the same week, showed what hybrid-first compact-SUV demand looks like when the assembled-in-Canada RAV4 Hybrid keeps posting records. DesRosiers then reminded everyone that August’s 5.4% gain is not a promise about September. The buyer move is the same in all three stories: use the written September Honda Financial Services quote if it fits, and do not wait for a central-bank headline, a future CR-V Hybrid incentive, or a slower industry month that has not changed the grid yet.

Quick answers

What is the September 4 Honda brief about?

Three buyer issues: Honda Canada's Stretch Lease prices 28- and 40-month terms on select models, Toyota Canada's assembled-in-Canada RAV4 Hybrid posted a fourth consecutive record month, and DesRosiers estimated August Canadian auto sales up 5.4% while warning September could come in lower.

Should I wait until October to lease a Honda?

Not if a written September Honda Financial Services quote already fits. Stretch Lease, CR-V Hybrid lease dollars and the September program run through September 30. The Bank of Canada does not speak again until October 28, so waiting for a rate headline will not rewrite this month's captive terms.

Reading this and shopping a Honda this month?

Send the model, trim and the quote you already have. I will tell you whether September’s Stretch Lease, a CR-V Hybrid comparison, or waiting for October is the cleaner move on that VIN.

Henry Chen
Sales and Leasing Executive, Maple Honda
89 Auto Vaughan Dr, Maple, ON L6A 4A1
647-523-6878 · henry@maplehonda.com

Bank of Canada figures from the September 2, 2026 rate announcement. Honda program terms from Honda Canada’s September 2026 sales program. Toyota figures from Toyota Canada. Industry sales from DesRosiers via The Canadian Press. Predictions are my personal read, not Honda Canada policy.