Auto-First | Xu Lei
At the e:N brand night conference held by Nippon Motors on April 25, it not only explained how the e:N series redefined the fun of electric vehicle driving, but also marked the beginning of a new chapter in Honda's electrification business in China.
Inoue Katsushi, Managing Director of Honda Motor and Minister of China, released Honda's 70-year car-making gene and "e:N brand declaration" and brand slogan of "reinventing EV driving fun", while announcing the first mass production model of the e:N brand, Dongfeng Honda e:NS1 will be released on April 26, and Gagac Honda e:NP1 will start pre-sale in May.
With the release of e:N from last year to the launch of the first mass production model this year, Honda China President Katsushi Inoue said with confidence: In the EV era, Honda's original intention has not changed, still adhere to the technology people-oriented, do not rely on simple parameter stacking, aim to continuously present a unique value beyond customer expectations, and unique mobile fun. E:N brand embodies Honda's more than 70 years of car-making genes and brand beliefs, and integrates China's advanced electrification and intelligent technology, e:NS1 and e:NP1 are honda's first bullets of electrification, which will reshape EV driving fun.
According to Auto-First, e:NS1 and e:NP1 are deeply in line with the needs of the domestic market, and are developed by young Chinese engineers, creating unique driving pleasure from the three aspects of "moving", "wisdom" and "beauty".
Based on the value concept of "moving", a new intelligent and efficient pure electric architecture "e: N Architecture" was launched, and according to the different driving modes of the model, the "e:N Architecture F" and "e:N Architecture W" were launched, the former is a front-drive, which is used in small and medium-sized models; the latter is divided into full-time four-wheel drive (AWD) and rear-wheel rear drive (RWD), AWD adopts front and rear high-power motors. The drive force can be optimally distributed and controlled according to the driving conditions, while the RWD uses a high-power motor for more powerful speed performance, which is suitable for medium and large vehicles.
The currently launched Dongfeng Honda e:NS1 and GAC Honda e:NP1 (Polar Pan 1) both adopt the front-drive "e:N Architecture F" pure electric architecture, equipped with high-efficiency and high-power drive motors, equipped with large-capacity and high-density batteries, and its maximum endurance is more than 500 kilometers. And in view of the daily actual use scenarios of Chinese consumers, the electronic control assembly has become more than 40 times that of ordinary EV models, up to more than 2,000 algorithms, to cope with various driving environments. In addition, in order to provide drivers with a more exciting acceleration experience, the e:N series also adds a sporty EV Sound acceleration sound wave in the sport mode.
Based on the concept of "wisdom", Honda's e:N series is equipped with an advanced HMI system, including a 15.1-inch HIGH-definition ultra-thin bezel center control screen (3-split screen setting), a 10.25-inch color full-LCD digital instrument cluster, and a streaming media rearview mirror. It is also equipped with the full-stack intelligent control ecosystem "e:N OS", which integrates Honda SENSING, Honda CONNECT, and intelligent digital cockpits. Among them, the CONNECT 3.0 EV special edition system supports more than 20 functions such as AI voice assistant, car home interconnection, energy management, and OTA online upgrade.
It is worth mentioning that the e:N series is also equipped with DMC (Driver State Perception System) for the first time, which can accurately and effectively identify the driver's state, actively remind by detecting changes in mood, and combine AR precision intelligent navigation and panoramic automatic parking and other functions, reflecting intelligence while providing a better and safer driving experience.
The overall spatial layout of the e:N series vehicles continues Honda's MM concept, through the use of 18-inch wheels and unique NVH noise reduction technology, it can effectively suppress high-, medium- and low-frequency noise from the source of noise, thereby creating a more quiet, comfortable and safe intelligent driving space. Based on the concept of "beauty", the e:N series revolves around the design language of "one touch of the future", and the front face adopts the line design of the wing shape, with sharp body lines, as well as intelligent lighting and lighting system, which is fashionable and full of technology.
e:NS1 and e:NP1 newly launched the e:N series symbolic hair light H mark and the tail "Honda" letter mark, and added a full sense of life "Heart beat heartbeat interactive light language", in the charging process so that users can see the charging status at a glance.
Honda China President Katsushi Inoue said: In the EV era, Honda will further strengthen quality control on the basis of mature car-making technology and experience, especially for the core components of electric vehicles such as batteries and motors, adopt unique strict quality inspection standards, and use a more rigorous attitude to let consumers feel the lean quality from e:N.
At the same time, Honda will also accelerate the upgrading and development of the new sales model, with the listing of e:NS1 and e:NP1, it will simultaneously launch an online cloud showroom experience store in China to provide consumers with online one-on-one consultation, test drive appointment, and product ordering services.
At the same time, offline physical stores will also be fully upgraded. Among them, Guangqi Honda will first launch electrified sales service stores and supermarket stores in Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou and other places, and Dongfeng Honda will set up an "e:N brand zone" in the existing special stores.
In terms of after-sales, Honda provides peace of mind and security service support for e:N through a network of more than 1,200 special stores throughout the country.
It is worth mentioning that by 2027, Honda will launch a total of 10 pure electric vehicles in China, and Guangqi Honda and Dongfeng Honda will build new pure electric vehicle plants respectively, and plan to put into production from 2024 onwards, thus building a complete series of pure electric products.