The Birth of e:NP – GAC Honda’s Electric Vehicle Brand

Author: Tian Hui

Editor: Qiu Kaijun

“We will not be satisfied with just one victory, but constantly research the reasons behind our success and actively apply this successful technology to new racing cars.”

This is the powerful statement made by Honda’s founder, Soichiro Honda, when leading Honda into F1 races. It is clear that Honda’s soul is never satisfied and is always striving for innovation.

The joint venture of Guangqi Honda in China has also inherited this spirit. Since its establishment in 1998, Guangqi Honda has made steady progress. In February 2022, Guangqi Honda achieved the impressive feat of producing and selling a cumulative total of 9 million vehicles.

Of course, Guangqi Honda will not rest on its laurels with this victory. They are already preparing for the next win in the competition that will take place in the electric vehicle market.

On March 29th, Guangqi Honda launched its new electric vehicle brand – e:NP Ji Pai – and launched a charge into the electric vehicle era.

The launch of the electric vehicle brand e:NP Ji Pai is yet another new project for Guangqi Honda. However, unlike in the past, where Honda had often depended on its incredible engine, transmission, and hybrid technologies to lead the way, this time, during the era of the “four integrations” of the automotive industry, what will Honda do?

e:NP Breaks Boundaries

Honda will not limit itself to the two-wheeled or four-wheeled domain but will continue to develop new products in various fields as a company that provides “personal mobility”.

At the e:NP launch event, Moriyama Katsuei, General Manager of Guangqi Honda, explained Honda’s strategy – “Honda will not adhere to the scooter or gasoline car domain, but will launch travel products that meet consumers’ needs in the field of electric vehicles.”

e:NP is the new electric brand released under this strategy.

The e:NP brand that Guangqi Honda is striving to create will eliminate boundaries, cross all limits, and provide a unique electric full-value experience.

Each letter in e:NP has its unique meaning.

The “e:” in “e:NP” represents “electric” and “energize,” symbolizing Guangqi Honda’s commitment to providing energy for people who are loyal to themselves in the electric age. The letter “N” shows the embrace of the “New/Next” generation, implying the creation of new value.

The letter “P” represents “Prime,” symbolizing the “exciting (extreme)” driving pleasure that cars bring.# e:NP – Breaking Boundaries in the Electric Vehicle Industry

e:NP, the brand of Guangqi Honda, is the representation of high-quality Mono-zukuri (creating product value) and Koto-zukuri (creating experience value), which are always pursued by Guangqi Honda. Through the introduction of the e:NP brand, Guangqi Honda breaks the boundaries between people and cars, provides better driving experiences, and spans the boundaries between users and automotive companies, providing the best car purchasing and user experience in both the real and virtual worlds.

Breaking boundaries means more than breaking the boundaries between brands and consumers, or between traditional fuel technologies and electric vehicle technologies. At Guangqi Honda, breaking boundaries also means breaking the boundaries of entrepreneurial spirit – not only in the field of fuel and hybrid cars, but also in the field of electric vehicles.

e:NP is Guangqi Honda’s re-entrepreneurship in the field of electrification. Guangqi Honda will apply the wisdom accumulated in the field of fuel and hybrid cars to the field of electrification, but more importantly, Guangqi Honda has the confidence to provide electric vehicles with the same strength as fuel and hybrid cars.

The Boundary-breaking Methodology of e:NP – Beyond Limits

How can the spirit of the e:NP brand that breaks boundaries be implemented?

First of all, it is necessary to break the distance between the brand and consumers, so Guangqi Honda has introduced the Chinese name – 极湃 (jí pài) for the e:NP brand. 极湃 means “boundlessly ultimate and powerful”, and it breaks down the barriers between brands and consumers, making it easier for consumers to accept the brand.

However, the implementation of the e:NP brand is the most concerned issue in the industry. Zheng Heng, the executive vice president of Guangqi Honda, elaborated on the “Beyond Limits” methodology of e:NP at the press conference.

Guangqi Honda will break the boundaries of traditional business, put users at the center, and vertically integrate in four major areas: product development, smart manufacturing, sales channels, and service modes, to lay out comprehensively in the era of electric mobility.

It seems that Guangqi Honda’s re-entrepreneurship in the field of electric vehicles will be as Zheng Heng said: “We have been preparing for the electric business for a long time, and now we are going all out!”.

The “Beyond Limits” methodology will revolve around boundaryless research and development, boundaryless manufacturing, boundaryless sales channels, and boundaryless services.

In the field of boundaryless research and development, Guangqi Honda will make ultimate use of two major technology incubation bases- Honda R&D (China) Co., Ltd. and GAC Honda Automobile Research and Development Co., Ltd., to develop electric products that provide high-quality driving experience. At the same time, e:NP has also built a strong and open localized circle, working together with leading battery industry enterprises and domestic leading intelligent enterprises to develop and jointly construct China into the engine for Honda’s global electric mobility leap.

In terms of boundaryless manufacturing, GAC Honda has prepared a brand new New Energy Exclusive Factory for e:NP JiPai brand, which is expected to be completed and put into production in 2024. By applying 5G network technology, the new factory will introduce a number of advanced intelligent equipment and systems, and through the “intelligentization” of production end such as inventory of parts, assembly site, and logistics correspondence, it will achieve rapid response to personalized product needs.

In terms of boundaryless channel, e:NP JiPai will adopt a dual-channel integration model of online and offline. Consumers can easily place orders through the GAC Honda app, and enjoy a transparent and efficient one-stop car buying experience. In terms of channel layout, GAC Honda will create new offline sales and service stores and supermarket stores for electrification.

The goal of e:NP JiPai is to achieve seamless connection in all scenarios, setting free the boundary between virtual and physical channels, by realizing online car viewing and offline experience, online car ordering and offline delivery.

In terms of boundaryless service, e:NP JiPai will transform from “serving customers” to “smart partners”.

Relying on the new electrified sales and service stores and more than 600 national franchised stores, e:NP JiPai will make full use of digital platforms such as the GAC Honda app and the in-car intelligent navigation system to intelligently perceive car usage needs in advance, and create a seamless service experience for users through worry-free and convenient methods such as pick-up and delivery. In the GAC Honda app, through setting up communities, innovative projects for car owners and other content sections, combined with functions such as membership points and car clubs, GAC Honda will carry out internet community operation and off-line interaction around fans and city clubs, achieving deep collaboration with fans.

The second entrepreneurial start-up in the Year of Destiny

Founded 24 years ago, GAC Honda has been continuously innovating.

In 1998, GAC Honda was established, and according to Chinese cultural traditions, 2022 is the Year of Destiny for GAC Honda. In the first Year of Destiny, GAC Honda accumulated a total sales volume of 2 million vehicles, while in the second Year of Destiny, GAC Honda’s cumulative sales volume reached 9 million vehicles.

Starting with the production of the 6th generation Accord model, GAC Honda has successively launched models such as Fit and Odyssey, and has achieved a leading position in their respective sub-segments. This is a manifestation of GAC Honda’s innovative spirit and entrepreneurial ability.

What GAC Honda is good at is entering into a new field and gaining a leading advantage through continuous technological innovation.# Innovation Driving Guangqi Honda towards Success – the Story of E:N

Entering a field, constantly innovating to gain advantages, is like running a marathon with a long-term perspective. Guangqi Honda has been following this process since its establishment.

Taking the Accords as an example, the sixth generation of Accords was offline in Guangqi Honda in 1999. At that time, Accord was a luxurious vehicle with a sky-high price of 300,000 RMB. Now, with the tenth-generation being launched, the accumulated sales have reached 3 million units.

For the first domestically produced sixth-generation Accord, it adopted a cutting-edge front double-wishbone and rear five-link suspension structure. Compared with its European counterparts, which mainly used MacPherson and torsion beam structures, it was a historic upgrade. Since then, every upgrade of Accord has been a self-transcendence: i-VTEC engines, Earth Dreams Technology engines, i-MMD hybrid technology, etc., have perfectly embodied Honda’s innovative brand spirit.

Nowadays, Accord has become synonymous with mid-to-high-end sedans.

However, Guangqi Honda did not stop at its success. After Accord, the cumulative sales of Fit have exceeded 1.3 million, and it has become the undisputed leader in the small car market. Even more, the success of Fit has gone beyond automobiles themselves; it stands for a spirit of youth.

Maintaining an entrepreneurial spirit and continuing innovation, this is the reason why Guangqi Honda can ensure continuous success. The launch of E:N Extreme Pinnacle reflects Guangqi Honda’s entrepreneurial spirit and innovation.

This time, Guangqi Honda broke the routine and adopted a more profound boundaryless methodology to innovate and challenge.

E:N Extreme Pinnacle Will Be More Thrilling

E:N Extreme Pinnacle 1 will be the first model launched by E:N Extreme Pinnacle.

E:N Extreme Pinnacle 1 adopts a brand-new smart and efficient pure electric architecture E:N Architecture F, which integrates a three-in-one high-power drive motor, a high-capacity high-density battery, a high-rigidity pure electric vehicle exclusive chassis platform, and a chassis platform. It can bring consumers an unprecedented dynamic experience.

E:N Extreme Pinnacle 1 is the first new car model to be launched by Guangqi Honda’s brand new electric vehicle brand. This approach is different from that adopted by Guangqi Honda’s old rivals.

Volkswagen launched the ID. series of vehicles with much fanfare. Toyota has not yet presented a clear electric strategy. Honda is the most decisive among the traditional giants.

With the launch of E:N Extreme Pinnacle 1, E:N Extreme Pinnacle entered the landing stage, marking the beginning of a new entrepreneurial journey for Guangqi Honda. But this time, Guangqi Honda will not only face old rivals but also new forces of competition.

GAC Honda possesses a continuous spirit of innovation and a wealth of sustained experience in success. What it lacks is the new marketing experience in the new automotive market under the new circumstances.

By breaking through boundaries without limits, GAC Honda created a new electric brand e:NP with the help of the boundaryless methodology to cope with new challenges brought by players outside of the automotive industry, and they found the right approach.

For e:NP, it will face a tough battle, but GAC Honda is good at this.

This article is a translation by ChatGPT of a Chinese report from 42HOW. If you have any questions about it, please email bd@42how.com.