The first of a new generation of electric vehicles (EVs) from Honda won’t entirely be a Honda. But the Japanese automaker expects to catch up fast and be selling EVs built entirely on its own platform just a year later.
Honda has a long history with electric cars, having built its first in 1997. But the Japanese automaker has been sitting out the rapid electrification of American roads, concentrating on hybrid and even hydrogen fuel-cell cars.
That will change next year with the debut of the Honda Prologue. A midsize SUV with an upscale minimalist look, the Prologue will wear a Honda badge. But it won’t entirely be a Honda. The Prologue will ride on the General Motors Ultium platform, and, Honda officials revealed at a briefing this week, will be built by GM employees in GM factories.
A similar midsize SUV from Acura, the 2024 Acura ZDX, will also be built by GM.
Arrangement Temporary, May Have Advantages for Shoppers
It’s unusual, though not unheard of, for automakers to sell products built by their rivals. Today, the Toyota bZ4X and Subaru Solterra are essentially the same car, both built by Toyota. But using GM’s platform and factories might give Honda another advantage – GM expects its Ultium-based products to qualify for federal EV tax credits that go only to cars built in North America using components from the U.S. or certain partner countries.
Today’s electric cars ride on so-called skateboard platforms – flat combinations of batteries, electric motors, and steering and suspension components that can be scaled up or down to build many different vehicle types. Ultium is GM’s skateboard unit. It will lay under many GM EVs. It will also form the structure and moving parts of both 2024 Honda EVs.
Executives say that using a partner’s platform will buy Honda time to develop its own. That process is well underway. We’ll see the first all-Honda EV in 2025. Executives describe it as a “mid- to large-size EV model.” That’s all they’ll reveal for now. But they promise its entertainment and information functions will be driven by an all-new operating system unique to Honda.
There’s no word on whether that means Honda will follow GM into dropping Apple CarPlay and Android Auto from its cars.
In the longer term, executives said, Honda is working on “next-generation batteries such as semi-solid-state and all-solid-state batteries” that promise longer ranges and faster charging times.
