This vigorous global automotive electrification revolution has caused many traditional automakers to lose their square inches, including brands such as Honda and Toyota that are technologically advanced in the fuel era.
Honda has officially withdrawn from F1, which has been in operation for many years, in 2022 due to "concentrating resources on future electrification trends". Prior to this, Honda also put down the hydrogen fuel cell vehicle that has been developed for many years and concentrated on the development of pure electric vehicle models.
It's not that the Honda has no experience in electrification, it's just that its movements are too slow. Now they also feel that they only rely on their own research and development strength, and may still be left behind, so Honda seeks cooperation in the research and development of pure electric power.
Not long ago, Honda announced a cooperation with Sony in research and development, and in January Honda announced that it would develop solid-state batteries with battery company SES.
On April 5, Honda announced that it and GM would jointly develop a series of "affordable" electric compact SUV models, and it is expected to be less than $30,000, directly benchmarking Tesla's low-cost models.
The new models, which will be available in North America in 2027, will share the platform and new battery technologies, including future solid-state batteries.
This is the latest collaboration between the two sides, and it is also a larger expansion plan, which will aim to "produce millions of electric vehicles worldwide." The mission of this plan is to reduce the cost of electric vehicles and thus increase sales.
Future collaborations will include not only Honda and Chevrolet brands, but also Buick, GMC, and even the upscale Cadillac and Acura brands. In terms of size, it will be smaller and cheaper than the previously announced 2024 Honda Prologue.
This is not the first time that Honda has announced a partnership with GM, as the two sides have previously announced that they will directly use GM's Ultium platform technology to launch two new Honda cars as soon as 2023, and honda and Acura brands in the future.
These medium-sized pure electric models based on GM Ultium technology may have a range of 724km. Initially, Honda and Acura will each launch a new car. Honda's new car based on the universal Ultium is the previously released Prologue.
Interestingly, the new prologue was produced not by Honda, but by the General Motors plant in Ramos Aristpe, Mexico, and SpringHill, Tennessee. At present, Tennessee is on the same platform as Cadillac LYRIQ, and it is listed this year.
Since the rise of Japanese cars in the United States in the 1970s, Japanese cars have always been the object of learning for American brands in terms of technology and production quality. But I can't imagine that thirty years of Hedong, thirty years of Hexi, in the era of electrification, American automakers have the possibility of surpassing the Japanese.
Although there is still a gap between GM and Tesla in pure electric, both GM and Ford have strong technical reserves in this regard.
For example, GM has already launched the pure electric hatchback Bolt, and sales are also good, in this regard, GM has been far ahead of Honda. Next year, GM will also launch the Chevrolet Equinox electric car, which is said to start at around $30,000. The Ultium platform Cadillac LYRIQ was immediately ready for delivery.
In contrast, Honda has been releasing various electric concept cars at the Tokyo Motor Show and the Geneva Motor Show over the years, but all of them are thunderous and rainy. Last year, Honda China released a new pure electric brand "e:N", but the factory that produces the new pure electric platform new car will not be put into production until 2024.
Therefore, in order to speed up the speed of electrification, it is not difficult to understand that Honda is looking around for technical cooperation.