Honda could also be late to the long-range EV market, nevertheless it’s off to a helluva begin. The corporate posted report gross sales this August, buoyed by sturdy SUV and truck gross sales, a whole lot of hybrids and the all-new Honda Prologue EV.
Honda offered 127,900 vehicles final month, 35,886 of which had been electrified. The overwhelming majority of these are hybrids. Honda’s new technique has been to supply hybrid powertrains because the improve choice for its mainstream vehicles. With a view to get a loaded Touring mannequin of the Accord or CR-V with the good audio system, it’s important to get a hybrid. Positioning them because the premium choice not solely helps soften the perceived price improve of the hybrid powertrain, it additionally precisely suggests {that a} hybrid is usually a extra luxurious, higher long-term choice. Skeptical consumers who desire a loaded CR-V will possible be shocked by how good it feels with the two-motor hybrid system helping the four-cylinder fuel engine.
A pair years into this technique, 51% of CR-Vs offered are hybrid. Honda sells a whole lot of hybrid Accords, too, although it did not get away the quantity. And electrified gross sales are getting a lift from the newly launched Civic Hybrid. Count on its contributions to develop over the following 12 months.
Nevertheless it’s the electrical Prologue that is the actual information. Honda was sluggish to launch a long-range EV, and when it did it plucked a GM-sourced Ultium mannequin off the shelf. The Honda Prologue is basically a rebadged Chevy Blazer EV. That is superb, as I just like the Blazer EV. Hell, I leased one. I simply did not anticipate a rebadged Chevy EV to make a lot of an impression available in the market.
I broke rule primary within the auto market: By no means underestimate the facility of branding. Honda has been constructing hybrid automobiles for 20 years, making customers belief its electrical choices greater than they belief these from manufacturers which are much less related to gasoline effectivity and frugalness. So Honda managed to maneuver 5,401 Prologues in August alone. For reference, Chevy offered 6,634 Blazer EVs in the entire second quarter. So even when it is promoting the very same EV as Chevy, Honda sells it sooner.
That could possibly be on account of model loyalty or belief. It could possibly be as a result of the Prologue did not have the Blazer’s launch troubles. It could possibly be as a result of the Prologue got here out a couple of months later, and Honda remains to be satisfying the preliminary wave of demand, or due to good lease offers final month. Or it could possibly be that, whereas virtually all the pieces in regards to the Blazer and Prologue is equivalent, the Honda consists of Apple CarPlay, and the Chevy would not.
To seek out out whether or not this lead is enduring, we’ll should see whether or not Honda can preserve the Prologue promoting by the following 12 months. By that time, it also needs to have introduced its first home-built long-range EV, made within the U.S. It could have been sluggish out of the gate, however do not depend Honda out of the EV race simply but.