American Honda Motor Co. has big plans for its first big-volume all-electric SUV that General Motors will help build and power.
On Monday, American Honda said in a statement that its initial annual sales target for the Prologue SUV EV is 70,000 units in the U.S. when the car goes on sale in 2024.
The Prologue will use the Ultium battery and motor technology GM developed for use in its upcoming EVs like the Detroit-built GMC Hummer electric pickup going on sale this fall and the 2023 Cadillac Lyriq SUV, which comes to market next year. GM filled all the reservations for the Lyriq Debut Edition in 10 minutes on Saturday, Rory Harvey, vice president of Global Cadillac, said. More Lyriqs will be available to order starting next summer.
Honda will provide the 2024 Prologue’s exterior and interior design. It will also include Honda brand “characteristics,” Free Press auto critic Mark Phelan wrote in a June column.
Neither a spokesperson for GM nor American Honda would say which of GM’s assembly plants will build the Prologue. GM is building a new battery plant in Lordstown, Ohio, as part of its Ultium LLC joint venture with LG Chem and another in Spring Hill, Tennessee. GM has said its Spring Hill Assembly will build the Lyriq.
Around this time last year, Honda and GM formed a North American automotive alliance. In it, the two share a range of vehicles, to be sold under each company’s distinct brands, as well as cooperation in purchasing, research and development, and other connected services.
Honda and GM leverage their scale in buying supplies cheaper, saving each money, which allows them to invest in developing future products. The partnership includes development of vehicles, batteries and fuel cells.
“Launching our first volume battery-electric vehicle in 2024 is the start of an exciting new direction for Honda,” said Dave Gardner, executive vice president of National Operations at American Honda, in a statement.
The automaker’s initial approach to selling the Prologue will be regional, focusing on California and Sun Belt states of Texas and Florida. Honda anticipates these regions will represent the bulk of sales at the onset of launch due to higher customer acceptance of EVs and regulatory requirements.
As EV infrastructure grows and customer interest increases nationwide, Honda said it will expand sales and marketing efforts to other areas of the country.
“We are working with our dealers to plan the transition from sales of primarily gasoline-powered vehicles to selling 100% electric vehicles by 2040,” Gardner said.
GM said earlier this year it aspires for its entire light-duty lineup to be zero-emissions by 2035.
Following the launch of Prologue, Honda plans to introduce more EVs based on its new e-Architecture now being developed and to grow sales to about 500,000 EVs by 2030, it said.
Honda’s initial zero-emission vehicle sales goals of 40% by 2030 is contingent upon “fair and equitable access to state and federal EV incentives intended to encourage American consumers to purchase electric vehicles,” the company said in a statement.
Honda also plans to increase the number of hybrids it builds in the U.S. as it transitions away from internal combustion engines. The automaker currently produces Accord, CR-V and Insight hybrids in the U.S..
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Contact Jamie L. LaReau at 313-222-2149 or jlareau@freepress.com. Follow her on Twitter @jlareauan. Read more on General Motors and sign up for our autos newsletter. Become a subscriber.