Tech
Honda's first all-electric SUV is set to launch in 2024
The Prologue is just the beginning of Honda's commitment to ramping up EV production.
Honda is no stranger to the world of electric vehicles, but it does still have some surprises up its sleeves. Today the Japanese company dropped the first image of the Prologue, its first-ever all-electric SUV.
Like Toyota’s take on the genre, Honda’s doesn’t stray too far from the company’s comfort zone. Those hoping for something hyper-futuristic might want to look elsewhere.
Here’s what we know so far about the Prologue: Honda is making it, and it looks like this:
Other than that, Honda isn’t giving much away here. The company says the Prologue’s exterior styling “represents the clean, simple and timeless values of the global Honda design direction.”
The plan is for the Prologue to release sometime in 2024. It’ll be the first EV to come out of Honda’s partnership with GM, taking advantage of the latter’s Ultium battery platform.
Lagging a bit — Honda isn’t new to electric vehicles; its first hybrid electric car, the Insight, actually launched a month before Toyota’s Prius in 1999. The vehicle was pretty revolutionary at the time, getting around 70 miles per gallon, though it was never very popular. Honda has been releasing all-electric vehicles and hydrogen-cell vehicles for years now, too.
Those looking for an EV a little larger or more rugged than a sedan haven’t gotten much at all from Honda as of late, though. As brands like Subaru, Lexus, and Toyota unveil their all-electric SUVs and crossover vehicles, Honda’s only offerings in that arena consist of gas-guzzlers. By 2024, the Prologue will already be at something of a disadvantage in the market, having gotten a relatively late start.
Much more to come — Despite this lag, Honda is setting high goals for its EV expansion in the coming years. By 2030, Honda hopes to have at least 30 electric vehicles on the market; the company’s more inexpensive offerings, developed in conjunction with GM, are expected to release beginning in 2027. The company hopes to have its own e:Architecture platform ready for production by 2026.
With only a single render to look at, it’s impossible to decipher what kind of driving range or features will be available with the Prologue. What we do know is that Honda is finally ramping up its electric vehicle production, and it’s not planning to stray too far from its reliable roots in doing so.