The success of the new Honda e:Ny1 electric SUV being launched next year will be critical to the firm hitting the government’s upcoming zero-emissions targets.
The e:Ny1 – named as such during a global presentation by the manufacturer but expected to take a different name when it goes into production – is the company’s first mainstream electric car, following on from the niche, Europe-only Honda E. It is similar in size to the Honda HR-V but sits on a bespoke electric platform.
Talking about its launch in 2023, Honda’s head of cars in the UK, Rebecca Adamson, said: “It is our first mainstream EV offering. The Honda E has been a great showpiece, but this car will take our BEV ambitions to a new level. It will offer more range and a more usable set-up, and it is critical for us to hit our targets.”
Under government proposals, manufacturers will need at least 22% of all car sales to be zero-emission vehicles by 2024, rising to 80% in 2030 and 100% in 2035.
Government plans: what percentage of zero-emission new cars and when
2024: 22%
2025: 28%
2026: 33%
2027: 38%
2028: 52%
2029: 66%
2030: 80%
2031: 84%
2032: 88%
2033: 92%
2034: 96%
2035: 100%
“The targets are being set for the right reasons, and it is down to us to hit them. They are the right thing to do,” said Adamson, when asked if she supported the legislation. “In that regard, e:Ny1 is arriving at exactly the right time. We have a target to hit for 2024, and it arrives at exactly the right time for us to start building the order banks so that we go into that year on the front foot.”
Honda’s managing director in the UK, Jean-Marc Streng, added that Honda’s focus on profitability over sales volume in recent years would also help it make the transition for electric sales. In 2007, the firm sold more than 100,000 cars in the UK, but this year it expects to sell around 30,000 – while recording record profits.