The rapid shift in the paradigm towards electric vehicles has been giving rise to mergers and joint production developments which were almost unthinkable a few decades ago. One such partnership is between Honda and General Motors which involves electric vehicle platform sharing. The first Japanese derivative of this tie-up has been teased in the form of an official rendering.
General Motors’ Ultium modular EV architecture will be underpinning the upcoming Honda Prologue SUV. With North America as its primary target market, the Prologue is an imposing crossover with a bold new front fascia which speaks the “neo-rugged” design language. The front is characterized by narrow LED headlamps and grille, trapezoidal secondary airdam and vertically oriented foglight enclosures.
Honda Prologue Electric SUV Teased
The longish profile is composed of an accentuated waistline, prominent tyres, flared wheel arches, sleek greenhouse, and contrast ORVMs and door handles. The rear is not visible but expect it to be sculpted and sporty.
The Honda Prologue’s design process commenced during COVID-19 and its creators mostly worked from home. Developed at the brand’s Los Angeles design studio in collaboration with Honda Japan, the Prologue benefited from Virtual Reality.
We expect the Japanese automaker to tease the interiors sometime in the near future. Keeping up with the trend, the electric Honda SUV for North America is likely to be equipped with a simple, uncluttered cockpit with a good amount of colour displays. One can expect the vehicle to come packed with the latest in terms of connectivity, ADAS and safety.
Powertrain
GM’s Utltium architecture benefits from a floor-mounted modular battery design which allows the engineers to setup a capacity ranging anywhere between 50 kWh to 200 kWh with an autonomy starting from 300 miles (480 kms) depending on the top-hat. As per definition, a modular EV architecture should be capable of FWD, RWD or AWD configurations depending on customer preference, product and target segment.
Being an SUV primarily targeting the Americans, Honda is likely to go for an AWD setup with plenty of power and torque to boot. In addition to teasing the new electric SUV, Honda has also revealed the look of their dealer showrooms and service centers of the future.
Honda Prologue Electric SUV Launch
The Honda Prologue electric SUV is slated to be launched in North America sometime in 2024. While there is no official announcement made yet, industry reports strongly indicate the presence of an Acura derivative of the Ultium platform which is also in the works for a 2024 debut. While Honda declined to comment on possible production locations for its upcoming EV, it is being said that GM’s Mexico plant will produce it.
It remains to be seen what other markets will receive the Prologue but given electrification is the talk of the town pretty much everywhere, we expect the crossover to eventually enter markets like Europe and select Asian countries. Honda’s future in India appears to be challenging to say the least, and the Prologue doesn’t appear to make a good business for our country as a CBU or CKD.
