Rushing to run the electrification transformation of Japanese major factories, Honda e:N brand first car listed

Economic Observation Network reporter Wang Shuaiguo, a Japanese car company that has been slow to take a big step in the process of electrification, has finally come to the moment of real knives and real guns. Following the release of Honda China's new pure electric vehicle brand e:N in October last year, on April 25, Honda China announced the "e:N brand declaration" and the brand slogan of "reinventing EV driving fun", and simultaneously listed the first electric model.

Katsushi Inoue, Managing Director of Honda Giken Industries Co., Ltd. and Minister of China, announced that the first production model of the e:N brand, the Dongfeng Honda e:N1, will be officially launched on April 26, and gagamoto Honda e:NP1 will start pre-sale in May. The launch of the first model means that Honda has opened a new chapter in its electrification business in China.

It is reported that e:NS1 and e:NP1 are built by a development team dominated by young Chinese engineers and integrate China's advanced electrification and intelligent technology. Letting the R&D team that understands Chinese consumers better take the helm and humbly learn from China's strengths in electric technology reflects Honda's attitude towards China's electric vehicle market.

Outside of Honda, the electrification of Toyota and Nissan is also on the way. Specifically, the first model of Toyota's pure electric bZ series, the bZ4X, will open pre-sale on April 28; Nissan's new pure electric SUV model Ariya entered the blind stage on April 27. Honda has become a member of the faster pace on the Road to Japanese electrification.

As the first of the new Japanese pure electric models to land, how strong is the e:NS1 and e:NP1? According to reports, e:NS1 and e:NP1 are equipped with intelligent and efficient front-drive pure electric architecture "e:N Architecture F" that integrates high-efficiency high-power drive motors, large-capacity high-density batteries, exclusive frames for pure electric vehicles and chassis platforms.

Among them, the e:NS1, which was launched on April 26, launched two power versions, both equipped with permanent magnet synchronous motors, with a maximum power of 134 kW and 150 kW and a maximum torque of 310 Nm. In terms of battery life, e:NS1 is equipped with a caterary lithium battery pack of the Ningde era, and the energy density of the battery pack is 141kWh/100kg and 183kWh/100kg, respectively, providing two endurance versions of 420 km and 510 km (CLTC).

It is worth mentioning that in terms of details such as controlling the scene algorithm and anti-stun, e:N has put a lot of effort into it. For the daily actual use scenarios of Chinese consumers, e:NS1 and e:NP1 have become more than 20,000 kinds of control scenario algorithms in the electronic control assembly, allowing vehicles to easily cope with various driving environments.

For the vertigo that is easily caused by electric vehicles, the motor control of the new car can effectively resolve the problem of acceleration motion sickness by constantly adjusting the pedal response and power output characteristics. This will also make the new e:N brand different from most pure electric models on the domestic market. In addition, in order to retain the driving pleasure belonging to the driver in the era of fuel vehicles, Honda has added Honda EV Sound acceleration sound to the sport modes of e:NS1 and e:NP1.

In terms of intelligence, the "e:N OS" full-stack intelligent control ecosystem equipped with e:NS1 and e:NP1 includes Honda SENSING, Honda CONNECT and intelligent digital cockpit. Among them, the HMI system includes a 15.1-inch large HD ultra-thin bezel central control screen, a 10.25-inch color full-LCD digital dashboard and a streaming media rearview mirror, etc.; honda CONNECT 3.0 pure electric vehicle exclusive version, which integrates more than 20 functions such as natural and smooth AI voice assistant, car home interconnection, energy management, OTA online upgrade, etc.; the DMC driver status perception system is equipped for the first time, which can effectively identify the driver's state, and even detect emotional changes for active reminder. Combined with AR precision intelligent navigation and panoramic automatic parking and other functions, it takes into account the intelligent and safe driving experience.

The loading of these intelligent configurations conveys that Honda wants to reverse the previous domestic consumers' perception that the joint venture electric vehicle is not smart enough. However, from the above configurations, it remains to be seen whether e:NS1 and e:NP1 can compete with China's domestic electric vehicle brands in terms of intelligence.

In terms of styling design, the two cars, e:NS1 and e:NP1, remain generally the same, but each maintains differentiation in detail. The front and rear of the two models are decorated with the symbolic luminous H and "Honda" letters of the e:N series, respectively, and the "Heart beat heartbeat interactive light language" is added to the front of the car, allowing users to grasp the charging status of the vehicle through the changing lights.

In order to ensure success in the era of electrification, Honda has also adjusted the production and sales model of the e:N brand. Katsushi Inoue said: "In the EV era, Honda will further strengthen quality control on the basis of mature car manufacturing technology and experience, especially for the core components of electric vehicles such as batteries and motors, and adopt unique and strict quality inspection standards. ”

At the same time, Honda will also launch a new sales model. It is reported that with the listing of e:NS1 and e:NP1, Honda will simultaneously launch an online cloud showroom experience store to provide consumers with online one-on-one consultation, appointment test drive, and product ordering services. In terms of offline physical stores, 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.

Honda China said that by 2027, the company will successively launch 10 e:N brand models to build a complete series of pure electric products. According to Honda's electrification roadmap, in the mature automotive market, including China, Honda's sales of pure electric vehicles and fuel cell vehicles are planned to reach 40% in 2030, 80% in 2035, and 100% in 2040.