Honda has announced that it is developing a mid to large-sized electric SUV for the US market, to be released in 2025. The vehicle will be built on Honda’s new Honda e Architecture EV platform, and will feature a new original vehicle operating system and an over-the-air software-updatable platform called Electric and Electronic architecture (E&E).
The E&E system will facilitate in-vehicle software and UX/digital services connectivity, which will become an increasing part of Honda’s business moving forward, according to a spokesperson from American Honda Motor Company. The automaker is hoping to compete with Tesla and Rivian by offering similar features and functionality.
Honda’s new SUV will follow the upcoming release of the automaker’s Prologue and Acura ZDX SUVs, which are being co-developed with GM and run on the American automaker’s Ultium EV
platform. However, Honda’s new SUV will be all its own, as the automaker plans to extend its partnership with GM to build several more “affordable” EVs based on Ultium for sale in “2027 and beyond”.
While Honda will use GM’s current pouch-style Ultium batteries for its announced EVs, it is also working with LG Energy Solution to begin a new battery production joint venture before the end of
the year. Additionally, Honda is exploring its own solid-state battery technology and a semi-solid- state joint development with SES, with plans to have a demonstration line of solid-state batteries next year and introduce them in new EVs coming in “the second half of the 2020s”.
To prepare for EV production, Honda is re-tooling three Honda plants in Ohio to become its North American EV production hub. The automaker plans to build 2 million EVs annually by 2023, and only build electric and fuel-cell vehicles globally by 2040.
Honda’s new SUV will compete with the family-hauling Kia EV9 and the Rivian R1S, both of which feature three-row seating and have been gaining traction in the market. Honda could use a bigger electric SUV with three-row seating, and the new vehicle will likely fill that gap in the automaker’s lineup.
The upcoming 2025 SUV, with its new Honda e Architecture, will be an important vehicle for the automaker as it works to expand its presence in the EV market and compete with established players like Tesla and newer entrants like Rivian. The success of the SUV will depend on its ability to offer similar features and functionality as its competitors, as well as its ability to deliver on Honda’s promise of affordable and accessible EVs for consumers.
Overall, Honda’s move towards electrification is a step in the right direction for the automaker, as more consumers are turning to EVs as a cleaner and more sustainable mode of transportation. With the release of its new SUV and plans to build several more affordable EVs in partnership with GM, Honda is positioning itself as a major player in the EV market in the coming years.