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Honda’s Electric Vehicle Plans Has Not Changed
A new platform for Acura’s next electric SUV and the entire 0 Series lineup means Honda has no plans to slow down any electrification plans.
“A lot of people are talking about a slowdown in electric vehicle sales,” Honda Executive Vice President Shinji Aoyama told reporters during a roundtable in Monterey.
“Our focus is clear based on our goal to achieve carbon neutrality by 2050. “We have not changed our belief that battery-powered EVs are the most efficient solution in the area of low mobility, such as motorcycles or cars,” he continued.
“We are still in the early days of the EV era… We remain confident that the EV shift will continue to unfold steadily… So we will maintain our long-term view and expect this ecosystem to change step by step.”
For Honda, electric vehicles are still part of the plan. This comes at a time when other automakers have begun pulling back on EV investments. Ford and General Motors are shifting more funds to plug-in hybrids, while companies like Audi and Mercedes-Benz are pushing back their timelines by years.
But that doesn’t mean Honda is completely on EVs – at least not yet. Kazuhiro Takizawa, CEO of American Honda, pointed out that the company will take a “balanced” approach to electrification and that SUS and hybrid vehicles will continue to be part of Honda’s upcoming plans.
“We will continue to invest in the power of our hybrid and SUS vehicles,” Takizawa said, “giving us a balanced and flexible approach to electrification… We are taking a unique, flexible approach at our EV hub in Ohio where the first phase of electric vehicle production will begin late next year. This will allow us to better produce all our petrol and electric vehicles on the same production line.”
Honda’s new 0 Series platform will underpin future Honda SUVs and even a sports car. Acura will adopt the platform for its EV SUV as well as an “NSX-type” sports car, which Aoyama confirmed in the same interview. This new EV platform, says Honda, will be “light”.
“We’re trying to build a strong electric vehicle brand, not an electric vehicle business to achieve our goal of zero environmental impact,” notes Aoyama. “That’s our biggest mission facing us today.”
