Honda Prologue EV to fit between Passport & Pilot SUVs [Update]

Update: ‘Made in the USA from 2024’ and ‘Several Honda EVs to follow’ sections updated.

The Honda Prologue EV will mark the beginning of a new era at Honda, especially in the U.S. and Canada, for which it has already announced some specific information. Here are seven things you need to know about the new Honda electric car:

Not the first Honda electric SUV

You read it right. The Honda Prologue EV isn’t the first mass-market Honda electric SUV. The company has already developed electric SUVs derived from the Honda HR-V, called VE-1, X-NV, and the GAC-Honda M-NV, but sells them only in China (through its local JV partners). Then there are the Honda e:NS1 and Honda e:NP1 twins that launch this year. Europe will get the Honda e:Ny1 in 2023. The Prologue is true to its name in North America, though, as it will mark the beginning of a blitz of Honda BEV (Battery Electric Vehicle) models in the region.

The Honda e:N SUV concept will likely lead to two Honda-badged large electric SUVs designed primarily for China by mid-decade. Image Source: Honda

American origins

The Honda Prologue SUV will be American technology underneath a Japanese shell or top hat. In April 2020, Honda and General Motors formed an agreement to develop two EVs for Honda. The co-developed EVs will ride on GM’s third-generation global EV platform and Ultium batteries.

The third-generation global EV platform and Ultium batteries can deliver EVs with outstanding capabilities, which the GMC Hummer EV and GMC Hummer EV SUV demonstrate. We’re talking about battery packs with up to 800 V voltage and 200 kWh battery energy content, up to 350 kW fast charging rate, 400 miles of range, and 0-60 mph acceleration time of as low as three seconds. The Honda Prologue EV won’t get the best of what’s technically possible, as it needs to be affordable.

GM’s third-generation global EV platform with Ultium batteries will underpin the Honda Prologue EV. Image Source: General Motors

Designed at Honda

Honda will design the exterior and interior of the Prologue SUV. It plans to borrow only the core components from GM, and so, rest assured, the Prologue SUV should look like a true Honda.

Alleged teasers of the Honda Prologue, viewable on Twitter (@Dear_March23), suggest that it will indeed be a CR-V-sized model. It looks to sport a curvier design compared to the edgy Honda e:NS1 and Honda e:NP1 small electric SUVs. Inside, it won’t be very fluidic with what appears like a single panel design like on the Kia EV6. With the GM-developed third-gen global EV platform underpinning it, we expect it to accommodate a practical frunk.

Limited availability

In the U.S., the Honda Prologue will be available in select states at launch. Honda says that it will initially focus on California and the ZEV states, including Texas and Florida. The company expects these regions to bring the bulk of sales because of higher customer acceptance of EVs and regulatory requirements. It will expand the availability nationwide when the EV infrastructure and customer interest grow.

In the first year of sales, Honda is targeting to ship 70,000 units of Prologue. It hasn’t clarified whether that number includes the deliveries in Canada. Regardless, it seems like sales would be considerably lower compared to the gasoline SUVs like the CR-V and Pilot. The company has been clocking 300,000+ CR-Vs and 100,000+ Pilots annually in the U.S. for years now.

Dave Gardner, Executive Vice President (National Operations) and General Manager (Automobile Sales), Honda (USA), has told dealers that the demand will be “very regional” initially, as per an Automotive News report. The current EV demand exists mainly because of more stringent fuel economy standards of the state and national governments, not because of direct customer interest, Gardner, suggested. The company is opposing the Biden administration’s plan to provide extra an incentive on EVs made at American factories which have unionized labor.

Made in the USA from 2024

Production of the Honda Prologue EV and its Acura offshoot will take place in the USA. However, GM will make these electric SUVs, not Honda. Neither Honda nor GM has revealed the production site, but Jessica Fini, the Japanese automaker’s spokeswoman, has said that an announcement about that will come “soon,” as per the Automotive News report. The company is trying to fight the Biden administration’s plan to provide extra an incentive on EVs made at American factories with unionized labor.

While briefing its electrification strategy on April 12, 2022, Honda said that it’s planning a production line exclusive to EVs in North America. So, Honda EVs launched in the U.S. will roll out of a Honda factory eventually.

According to a report from S.Korean publication Pulse, LG Energy and Honda could jointly construct a battery production facility with an annual capacity of 40 GWh in the United States. It would ensure battery supply for 600,000 high-performance EVs annually, as per the report. This plant would entail an investment of KRW 4 trillion, which converts to around USD 3.3 billion. GM already has an alliance with the South Korean company for U.S. battery production.

Image: Honda

Honda expects to launch the Prologue SUV in early 2024 and introduce the all-electric Acura SUV in the same calendar year. Hence, it may unveil these cars in the second half of 2023. We expect the all-electric Honda SUV to compete with the VW ID.4 and cost around USD 38,000 in the base configuration.

Automakers are facing uncertainties about parts supply and that’s affecting new product release schedules, especially for tech-laden EVs. However, the Prologue SUV remains on track for the 2024 launch. On April 12, 2022, Honda confirmed that it is on course to launch the Prologue SUV in 2024.

Luxury market cousin

The Honda Prologue EV will have a luxury-segment cousin from Acura. The untitled Acura electric SUV is the second EV that Honda plans to co-develop with General Motors.

Several Honda EVs to follow

At a press briefing on July 16, 2021, Honda global CEO Toshihiro Mibe said that the company is open to forming an alliance if that allows it to achieve its goals early. Electrification is not commercially feasible right now, Mibe said. A technical alliance with an automaker can help Honda take some burden off the costs involved in its transition in the early years.

A July 2021 Reuters report said that the Japanese automaker will use the opportunity of the switch to zero-emission vehicles to review the existing product line-up, suggesting that non-performing models would get the ax during the transition period as part of cost-cutting.

Honda will launch 30 EVs by 2030 that includes several SUVs, pickups and models like electric sports cars and MPVs. Image Source: Honda

On April 5, 2022, Honda and GM announced they will develop affordable EVs, including compact crossover vehicles. They expect to launch a new EV series in 2027 with North American countries as their first markets. These models won’t be costlier than gas-powered vehicles and they will match them even on the range. On April 12, 2022, Honda said it will launch 30 EVs globally by 2030.

Once the volumes pick up, Honda can switch to indigenous products. In 2026, it plans to release new EV models based on a new indigenously developed EV platform called e:Architecture. These models will go on sale first in North America before other regions. The company has set a target of increasing the sales ratio of EVs and FCEVs in North America to 40% by 2030. It aims to increase that figure to 80% by 2035 and ultimately transition to a zero-emission brand in the region by 2040.

The Honda e:Architecture models will roll out of Honda factories in North America. Along with these models and the Honda Prologue, the Japanese automaker expects to sell 500,000 EVs in North America by 2030.

Featured Image Source: cr-v.com.cn

Keyword: Honda Prologue EV to fit between Passport & Pilot SUVs [Update]