It will be unlike any Honda America has seen to date.
Honda is launching the Prologue for 2024. It should be a midsize, all-electric SUV. The Prologue will not become Honda’s first EV in America; that honor rests with the departed 89-mile range Clarity EV sedan. But the Prologue will be Honda’s first full-fledged mass-market offering. And whether you’re looking at powertrain, market positioning or manufacturing, the Prologue will be unlike any other Honda on the road.
Here’s what we know so far.
The Honda Prologue will be a GM product beneath the skin
The Prologue is emerging from a partnership between GM and Honda to use their Ultium platform for a pair of SUVs; the Prologue will get a glitzier Acura version. GM will build the vehicle on its line in North America.
Expect the Prologue to be about the same size as the Chevy Blazer EV and — since this deal is about cutting costs and time for Honda — be very similar beneath the shell.
We don’t know whether the Prologue will get all the Blazer variants; you can get a Blazer EV in front-wheel drive, rear-wheel drive and all-wheel drive. And we bet if Honda uses the SS high-performance powertrain, it ends up in the Acura version.
We know pretty much what the Prologue will look like
Honda has not kept the Prologue’s appearance too much of a secret. They have released design sketches and a preview video with a detailed clay model. Outlets have spied Prologue prototypes testing in the wild.
Big takeaways? The Prologue should incorporate some of the Honda E’s design language but with (what Honda is calling) a more rugged look. Paneling and front and rear fasciae should be different from the Blazer EV, even if the cars are similar dimensionally and proportionally.
Don’t expect the Prologue to get those sweet and massive tires in the design sketch. The prototypes look more conventional.
The Prologue should be pricier than your typical Honda
The Blazer EV starts at $44,995. Autocar thinks the Prologue may start higher than that — around $50,000. That would make it the most expensive vehicle in the Honda lineup. Honda is co-developing more affordable EVs with GM for a later launch in 2027.
Honda’s sales target for the Prologue is a robust 70,000 vehicles per year. Honda expects it to sell better than the Pilot, the Ridgeline or any vehicle in the Acura lineup.
Honda is arriving a bit late to the EV party
The Prologue will enter a crowded market by 2024. That debut will follow rivals like Toyota, Subaru, Nissan, Volkswagen and Ford, who deliver their first electric crossovers. It will arrive the same year we get things like electric Dodge muscle cars and a Jeep Wrangler EV. And it will be even longer before the American market gets Honda-engineered electric vehicles.
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