Honda has announced plans to launch a new mid- to large-sized electric SUV in the United States in 2025. Underpinning the vehicle will be the company’s Honda e Architecture EV platform which was originally scheduled to spawn its first model in 2026.
The Japanese brand confirmed plans for the new model during a recent presentation about its electrified future. While limited details were announced about the vehicle, Honda did confirm that it will be its first model to use the new Electric and Electronic (E&E) software architecture that supports over-the-air software updates.
Speaking with The Verge, American Honda Motor Company spokesperson Chris Martin said the new E&E software architecture “will be an increasing” part of the company’s business moving forward.
Read: 2024 Honda Prologue Blazes Out As The Brand’s First Electric SUV In America
Little else is known about the new SUV. Honda confirmed that its launch will come after the Honda Prologue and Acura ZDX land in 2024, both of which have been co-developed with General Motors and use The General’s Ultium platform.
Honda made a series of other announcements during the presentation. In China, it will launch the new electric e:NS2 and e:NP2 in early 2024 and by the end of 2024, will commence mass production of the e:N SUV xu concept presented at this month’s Shanghai Auto Show. By the time 2027 comes around, Honda will have introduced an additional seven EVs in China and by 2035, aims to be selling nothing but EVs in the country.
Honda’s plans for the introduction of EV models are as follows.
- North America:
- In 2024, the Honda Prologue and Acura ZDX, currently being codeveloped with General Motors (GM), will go on sale.
- In 2025, a mid- to large-size EV model which adopts the new E&E architecture based on Honda’s original dedicated EV platform will go on sale.
- China:
- In early 2024, e:NS2 and e:NP2 will go on sale.
- Before the end of 2024, mass production models based on the e:N SUV xù concept model will go on sale. The e:N SUV xù concept model was unveiled at Auto Shanghai this month.
- By 2027, Honda will introduce a total of 10 new EV models, including three models mentioned above.
- By 2035, Honda will strive to make EVs 100% of its automobile sales in China, ahead of other regions.
- Japan:
- In the first half of 2024, a N-VAN-based commercial-use mini-EV model will go on sales.
- In 2025, an EV model based on the N-ONE will go on sale.
- In 2026, two small-size EV models, including a SUV type, will go on sale.
In Honda’s home market of Japan, sales of the electric N-Van will start in the first half of 2024 while a new EV based on the N-One will hit the market in 2025. It will then introduce two small-sized EV models in 2026, one of which will be an SUV.
Key to Honda hitting its targets will be its work on battery procurement and development. In North America, it will use GM’s Ultium batteries for some models and will also use cells produced by its joint venture plant with LG Energy Solution scheduled to be completed before the end of this year. In China, Honda is working with CATL while in Japan it is working alongside Envision AESC on batteries.
During the second half of the 2020s, Honda says it will develop advanced liquid lithium-ion batteries as well as semi-solid-state and all-solid-state cells.
