Honda is lagging behind some automakers when it comes to the number of electric vehicles it has already put on the road, because up until recently, it concentrated on hybrids (like the Jazz e:HEV which we tested and liked quite a lot). But that’s about to change because it has just been confirmed that Honda is working on two fully-electric SUVs which it plans to release in America for the 2024 model year, thus confirming part of a rumor we covered not long ago.
Details regarding the specifics of each model are scarce right now; all we really know right now is that one will wear a Honda badge, while the other will be Acura-branded. The big news here is both will be underpinned by a General Motors platform, draw power from Ultium batteries and be manufactured by GM for Honda.
The aforementioned rumor hinted that the Honda would arrive first, in 2023 and the Acura model would debut one year later, in 2024. Furthermore, the previous report also indicated that the two BEV SUVs could be built in GM factories: the Honda at the Ramos Arizpe facility in Mexico, while the Acura would roll off the production line in Spring Hill, Tennessee.
It is believed both models will be similar in size (and probably mechanically related) to the Cadillac Lyriq. The Lyriq is expected to have a range of between 300 and 450 miles (483 to 725 km), cost starting at under $60,000 and it is believed to debut in 2022 - 2023. There is a good chance it will debut before the Honda model.
More Honda news
Honda of America sales chief Dave Gardner expressed his view that Honda needs to accelerate its rollout of electric models in order to become carbon-neutral by 2050. The manufacturer also needs to adapt to new US President Joe Biden's focus on zero emissions; Gardner said
We’ve got to now focus all of our energies in this direction in order to meet timelines. We’re really good at a couple of things that seem to be going out of vogue today, so there’s no doubt that we have work to start moving quickly in the zero-emission direction.
Source: Associated Press
