As soon as once more, Honda strives to show the world unsuitable by stating it’s investing deeply in EVs and understands the market greater than it has previously. For this yr’s Beijing Auto Present (Auto China 2024), it has unveiled a collection of latest fashions that type an all-EV sub-brand. When translated, this new mannequin line is named the “Ye Collection,” and options an all-new rectangle-less Honda brand denoting the model’s fully-electric nature.
Based on Honda’s press launch, this mannequin line title has which means:
“The brand new collection was named with the Chinese language letter “烨” which implies “shine brilliantly,” representing Honda’s need to allow everybody who drives Ye Collection fashions to unleash their innermost passions via the enjoyment of driving, and let their individuality shine brilliantly.”
Honda refocuses in China
Honda’s plans for China are totally electrical. It needs 100% of all of its automobiles offered in China to be electrical by 2035. It plans to introduce 10 new EV fashions in China by 2027. Six of them can be below this Ye sub-brand.
Advertising and marketing jibber-jabber apart, it appears to be like like Honda’s pulled out all the stops to make these automobiles aggressive out there. There’s no subcompact crossover with batteries jammed beneath just like the Honda E:NY1, or a restyled model of another person’s product just like the GM-Ultium-based Honda Prologue. These automobiles use an all-new platform developed in China known as Structure W. Honda has been quiet in regards to the platform’s full specs, however we do know that it’ll have a 3-in-1 drive motor on the rear (or entrance, optionally), and have a high-density battery. In true old-school Honda vogue, the platform has double wishbone suspension within the entrance and a multi-link unbiased rear setup within the rear.
Three autos accompany the revealing of the Ye Model: the manufacturing S7, P7, and the Ye GT Idea.
The S7 and P7 are roughly the identical automobile; a five-passenger, five-door crossover EV aimed straight at automobiles just like the Mannequin Y. It is going to be obtainable in both RWD (single motor) or AWD (dual-motor) varieties, each of that are aimed to be extra participating to drive autos within the section. Honda says the grey-colored P7 expresses “a seamless, subtle and good sense of the long run,” whereas the funky-styled S7 “expresses a extra emotional sense of the long run that stimulates individuals who see the automobile.” Undecided what both of these statements is meant to imply, however the P7 and S7 are solidly pleasant-looking EVs.
Nonetheless named an idea, the Honda Ye GT is chasing after the ever-growing and well-liked section of sporty, high-trimmed EV four-door coupes in China. Low, lengthy, and extensive, this automobile appears to be like prefer it’s able to do battle with automobiles just like the Xiaomi SU7.
In fact, Honda’s China aspirations and EV plans don’t all the time overlap with what it has deliberate for the remainder of the world. From what we will see, these automobiles seem like simply what Honda must placed on observe in China and put up a struggle in a extremely aggressive Chinese language automobile market the place Honda’s ICE autos have continued to lose reputation. However, for us outdoors of China, these fashions look good for an EV market starved of alternative. In a really perfect world, the Ye P7, S7 and GT Idea be finally manufactured in Ohio and go on sale as quickly as attainable.
The Ye P7 and S7 will go on sale in China earlier than the top of 2024. A manufacturing Ye GT Idea is predicted to enter the Chinese language market in 2025.
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