GM and Honda Team up Once Again to Develop Cheaper EVs
Following the pair of Honda-Acura EVs that will arrive in early 2024 using GM’s resources, including the Honda Prologue, the two automakers plan to expand their partnership by codeveloping a series of affordable electric vehicles set to launch from 2027.
These will mostly be compact crossovers with global production to reach millions of units, aimed at key markets such as North America, South America and China.
- Also: Chevrolet Equinox EV Previewed Ahead of Fall 2023 Launch
- Also: Honda’s Future Electric SUV to be Called Prologue
The vehicles will be based on a new global architecture using GM’s next-generation Ultium batteries while leveraging the two companies’ technology, design and sourcing strategies. GM and Honda said they will also work toward standardizing equipment and processes to achieve world-class quality, higher throughput and greater affordability.
Today’s announcement comes just a few days after the government of Justin Trudeau talked about implementing the Canadian Net-Zero Emissions Accountability Act requiring automakers to offer a certain number of electric vehicles to Canadians. More specifically, at least 20 percent of new light-duty vehicle sales will have to be zero-emission vehicles by 2026, at least 60 percent by 2030, and 100 percent by 2035.
Just like GM President Mark Reuss did last fall, Doug Parks, GM’s executive vice president of Global Product Development, Purchasing and Supply Chain, mentioned a new all-electric product for North America positioned at a price point lower than the upcoming 2024 Chevrolet Equinox EV, which is expected to start at around $35,000 in Canada.
Meanwhile, Honda still has plans to launch a new generation of EVs based on its own platform, called “e:Architecture,” beginning in the second half of this decade. Canada and the U.S. will be prioritized before the rest of the world.
GM and Honda also will discuss future EV battery technology collaboration opportunities in an effort to further drive down the cost of electrification and improve performance. The former is already working to accelerate new technologies like lithium-metal, silicon and solid-state batteries, while the latter is making progress on its all-solid-state battery technology with a demonstration line in Japan.