The Honda Prologue electric SUV, which is set to be released in 2024, was made with the help of General Motors. As the information on the new electric SUVs from the Honda and Acura brands continues to trickle out via the information faucet, the newest droplet reveals that the higher-volume Honda vehicle will be called the Prologue.
The 2024 Honda Prologue is scheduled to debut in late 2023. Its name refers to its position as the precursor of the Japanese automaker's new generation of high-volume battery-electric cars. This includes an Acura premium performance SUV, which will be on sale in 2024 and will be the first of its kind in the world. However, there is no word on what the Acura will be called at this time.
The Honda Prologue and its Acura equivalent and the battery systems for the two electric vehicles are all being developed in collaboration with General Motors.
All of this cooperation aims to achieve scale, which will lower the costs of different EV components, including batteries, for both General Motors and Honda, respectively. Co-development also entails cost-sharing, as the Honda and Acura SUVs will be constructed in a General Motors factory in North America that has been specially outfitted for electric vehicle production. This should help to spread out production expenses even further and cut them. I think that the Prologue will be made at General Motors' Ramos Arizpe plant in Mexico. The Acura EV will be made at the Spring Hill plant in Tennessee, which is currently being retooled to make electric cars like the Cadillac Lyriq.
Even though they will share many mechanical components, both General Motors and Honda's electric vehicles will seem significantly different. The style of the bodywork and interiors of these cars will be handled by the design studios of the individual manufacturers involved. People who have talked to us say that the next Honda Prologue was made at Honda's design studio in Los Angeles to meet the needs of people in North America.
There are few specifics available regarding the new Honda and Acura electric SUVs, which will be primarily targeted at the North American market. Both vehicles may be more oversized, three-row family utility vehicles designed specifically for the North American market, or they could be smaller versions designed to appeal to a broader range of customers in a variety of regions. Gardner only said that the Prologue is meant to be very competitive and meet a wide range of needs, but he didn't say more.
It is estimated that Honda's yearly sales volume will lie somewhere between the Honda Passport mid-size SUV, which has sold 22,000 units through May 2021 in the United States, and the Honda Pilot three-row SUV, which has sold 62,000 units during the first five months of the year so far. Models for both Honda and Acura are being made to stay true to their brands' roots: mainstream for Honda and performance for Acura.
The Honda Prologue and its yet-to-be-named Acura counterpart will be built on General Motors' flexible electric vehicle architecture. Still, Honda wants to introduce a new line of electric vehicles in the second half of the decade that will be built on its architecture.
Honda understands that to be viable, and it must also manufacture its batteries in North America. 'Other markets across the world have a more strong battery production business. That needs to happen here in North America if we meet the goals of reaching the levels that everyone is seeking to do,' Gardner explained. However, he declined to give a specific time range.
According to the company, Honda is doing its own independent study on solid-state batteries. The industry is pursuing solid-state batteries because of the technology's capacity to deliver a more extended driving range while also lowering the cost of ownership. This fiscal year, Honda will set up a "demonstration line" to begin testing the technology to make solid-state batteries commercially accessible by the end of this decade.
Honda is a bit of a latecomer regarding battery electric vehicles, opting instead to rely on its two-motor hybrid system for electrification. The Japanese automaker does not have an electric vehicle designed specifically for the North American market. Previous electric cars, such as the Fit EV, the FCX Clarity fuel-cell car, and the most recent Clarity EV, have all been phased out in the United States.
Even though Honda is a pioneer in fuel-efficient vehicles powered by internal combustion engines (and has a long history with electric cars), Gardner acknowledges that the carmaker has not been recognized as a leader in electric vehicles in recent years.
As a result of Honda CEO Toshihiro Mibe's vow to make the company carbon neutral by 2050, the carmaker is playing catch-up. Major markets, including North America, aim for BEV or fuel cell electric cars to account for 40% of total sales by 2030, 80% by 2035, and 100% by 2040 to achieve zero-emission transportation.
According to Gardner, Honda's RD investment for the next six years would be 10 percent greater than in past years, not disclosing how much the company is investing in electric vehicles. Honda's short-term goal is to increase the number of hybrid cars in its lineup in the near term.
Gardner said of hybrid owners: "We know that folks who have had a positive experience with a hybrid will be more inclined to purchase a BEV," The construction of more hybrid vehicles in North America will assist Honda in preparing for the production of electric cars in the future. Honda now manufactures hybrid vehicles in the United States, including the Accord, CR-V, and Insight. But, as some people have said, Gardner wouldn't know if Honda plans to join the electric pickup craze by putting electric motors and a battery pack in the Ridgeline pickup.
Honda's bigger electric vehicle plan involves continuing to collaborate with General Motors on fuel cells. Since 2018, Honda has also collaborated with General Motors and its autonomous car brand, Cruise, to develop new products. Cruise plans to introduce the Cruise Origin robotaxi, the first of its kind. It is expected that Honda will utilize the Origin as the basis for its autonomous car, which will have a body and interior created by the Japanese auto manufacturer.
Another announcement was that Honda and Hitachi would form a joint venture to manufacture electric motors. Honda and Hitachi's vendors have joined together to create components for electric vehicles and self-driving cars. In addition, Honda has teamed up with a Chinese battery company called CATL, and the first CATL batteries will be used in an electric vehicle for the Chinese market next year.
