Honda is preparing its first electric SUV: when it launches

The prologue begins Honda’s three-phase plan to launch new electric vehicles using General Motors.

After announcing the very nice Honda E and a long-term collaboration with GM, Honda has clarified its ambitions for electric vehicles. But it is still behind most other carmakers – especially its closest rival Toyota, which is launching its first mass-produced electric car this year.

To whet our appetite, Honda has unveiled a picture of Prologue, its first electric SUV to be launched in 2024. Well, it looks a lot like what you’d expect from a Honda SUV.

The first of a long line of electric cars

Prologue was developed with General Motors and will use the same BEV3 electric vehicle architecture as the similarly sized Cadillac Lyriq 2023, as well as the Buick and Chevy electric vehicles in the mid-size crossover segment. The prologue will also use GM’s Ultium battery management system and will be manufactured at a GM factory.

The single image, which is just a rendering and not a photo of the Prologue in action, shows the clean lines of the body and the sturdy tires of the SUV. Prologue is a design collaboration between its Los Angeles and Japan studios and was also developed with GM. There’s something old and new here for sure, but its relatively simple aesthetic makes the Toyota BZ4X look pretty radical in comparison.

Honda plans to unveil 30 new electric vehicles by 2030, with estimated sales of 2 million units. Following the start of sales of the SUV in 2024, Honda plans to start producing and selling new e-architecture electric vehicles in 2026 and will have affordable electric vehicles (also developed with GM) in 2027.