Honda’s first electric SUV for US market called ‘Prologue’
Honda’s first all-electric model based on General Motors’ Ultium platform for North America will be called Prologue and will be launched in early 2024. This has now been officially announced by Honda. Further details on the Prologue electric SUV are to be published in the coming months.
The new electric SUV will not be the only vehicle to be released in North America in the next years, as in addition to the Honda Prologue, an all-electric model from Honda’s Acura brand will also be launched in 2024, but the manufacturer is not yet giving any details on this either. As reported, the Honda Prologue could be produced in Ramos Arizpe in Mexico from 2023 and the Acura BEV in Spring Hill in the US state of Tennessee from 2024.
Honda had announced a sharper vehicle electrification course worldwide in April. The Japanese manufacturer wants to increase the share of battery-electric and fuel cell cars in its sales in North America and China to 40 per cent by 2030, to 80 per cent by 2035 and to 100 per cent globally by 2040. The background here is a plan to achieve carbon-neutrality for all products and corporate activities by 2050, including key targets for sales of electrified vehicles.
“Our first volume Honda BEV will begin our transition to electrification and the name Honda Prologue signals the role it will play in leading to our zero-emission future,” said Dave Gardner, executive vice president of American Honda.
Until 2024, however, Honda will first equip more “core models with hybrid systems to further reduce CO2 emissions and introduce customers to battery-electric production vehicles under development”. Commenting on the latter strategy of steering customers to all-electric vehicles via hybrids, Gardner said: “We know customers who have a good experience with a hybrid vehicle are more likely to buy a battery electric vehicle in the future. Our strategy is focused on introducing a higher percentage of hybrids in core models in the near term, making a committed effort to achieve higher volume leading to the introduction of our Honda Prologue.”
Honda claims to have consistently achieved record sales of electrified vehicles for the past three years – “and this sales momentum will continue in 2021,” the manufacturer said. Led by the CR-V Hybrid and Accord Hybrid, it said it had just recorded its best first half of the year for electrified vehicle sales.
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