Honda showed off a slinky Sports EV design in 2017 that had retro looks and small dimensions. But since then, the Japanese carmaker has been talking a lot about electric crossovers, like the 2024 Prologue, which will use Ultium batteries from General Motors. Now Honda has revealed that its plan to make more electric cars will include two sports cars, which it hinted at in a recent news release about its EV plans.
One will be a “specialty” model, and the other will be a “flagship.” Honda said it would release two racing cars around the world. The lead car, shown above, looks like a low-slung supercar and is most likely going to be an electric version of the NSX. If it makes it to the U.S., it will probably have an Acura badge on it, just like the current model. As you can see below, the specialty model sits a bit higher and has a more front-engined shape. We’re still not sure where this model will go, but there have been reports of a “baby NSX” for years. The company Honda says that both cars will “embody Honda’s universal sports mind set.”
Along with the news, Honda confirmed that the Prologue and an Acura EV SUV that will be similar to it will be made in 2024 and use GM’s batteries. Honda also said that it is thinking about starting a battery-making joint venture in North America. This seems to be different from the joint venture with Sony that was just announced and will lead to a new electric vehicle by 2025. The agreement with GM will also make EVs “affordable” by 2027. Honda also wants to release 30 electric vehicles around the world by 2030, which would mean making more than 2 million cars each year.
That being said, Honda says it will keep studying and working on solid-state batteries. The company is currently constructing a test production line that will begin making these batteries in the spring of 2024. In the second half of the decade, Honda thinks that these batteries will be used in regular cars. The company is also cutting down on the amount of trim levels for its cars to make production more efficient and cut costs. Honda says it has half as many trim and option levels around the world as it did in 2018, and by 2025, it wants to have only a third as many submodels.
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