On April 18, 2023, the 20th Shanghai International Automobile Industry Exhibition officially opened. Honda China jointly with Guangqi Honda Automobile Co., Ltd. (hereinafter referred to as “GAC Honda”) and Dongfeng Honda Automobile Co., Ltd. (hereinafter referred to as “Dongfeng Honda”), showcased their full range of electrified products and latest achievements in intelligence at Hall 7.2 of the Shanghai National Exhibition and Convention Center.
At this year’s Shanghai Auto Show, the Honda e:N brand brought three global debuts of pure electric vehicles. The first is the e:NP2 to be launched in early 2024 by GAC Honda and the e:NS2 to be launched by Dongfeng Honda. The prototypes of the nearly final design were released this time. As the second product of the Honda e:N brand, the e:NP2 Prototype and e:NS2 Prototype target the development of the “New-Genre EV”, integrating SUV’s full functionality with sedan’s comfort, and adopting new generation Honda CONNECT 4.0 and other intelligent technologies.
In addition, the concept car of the third electric vehicle of the Honda e:N brand, “e:N SUV Seq”, which is planned to be launched within 2024 globally, made its debut. This product will adopt the new pure electric vehicle exclusive architecture “e:N Architecture W” and incorporate advanced intelligent technologies. The naming of “e:N SUV Seq” suggests that this product will usher in a new era of the Honda e:N brand.
Furthermore, the product matrix of the Honda e:N brand will be further enriched and expanded. The fourth model, the e:N GT Concept, was also unveiled at this auto show, and the development of the mass production car based on this concept is progressing smoothly. Similar to the third model, the fourth model will also adopt the new pure electric vehicle exclusive architecture “e:N Architecture W”, and is planned to be launched after 2025.
Shinji Aoyama, Director and Executive Vice President, who is responsible for compliance and the automotive business of Honda said, “Honda China will accelerate electrification in all fields including two-wheelers, automobiles, and general-purpose engines. In the automotive field, after 2027, all models launched by Honda in China will be hybrid or pure EVs, and no new pure fuel models will be introduced. By 2035, electric vehicle sales will account for 100% of Honda’s total vehicle sales in China. The knowledge and experience accumulated in China will empower Honda’s global electrification efforts.”- Honda e:N Unveils Global Debut of Its Second SUV, Pioneering a New Genre in Electric Vehicles
The e:NP2 Prototype and e:NS2 Prototype, unveiled at this year’s Shanghai Auto Show, take “New Genres for EV” as their development direction, integrating the full functionality of an SUV and the comfort of a sedan into one, with a razor-like design and sharp dynamic lines. The interior is refreshing and minimalist, balancing the exterior’s strength and softness. This model will also use the next-generation Honda CONNECT 4.0 smart technology. From a driving perspective, it will have a dynamic and exciting driving experience inheriting Honda’s brand values: “Dynamic, Intelligent, and Beautiful”, further enhancing Honda e:N’s core values.
At the same time, e:NP2 Prototype from GAC Honda and e:NS2 Prototype from Dongfeng Honda also have significant differences in exterior and lighting design to meet different customer needs. “P” in e:NP stands for “Prime”, highlighting a sleek, intelligent, and futuristic design style, while “S” in e:NS represents “Spirit”, reflecting a stimulating, inspiring, and futuristic design style. “Prime” and “Spirit” will become GAC Honda’s and Dongfeng Honda’s respective exclusive design language.
The two new cars in the second wave of Honda e:N brand were developed by Honda Research and Development (China) Co., Ltd., and will be launched in early 2024.
- “e:N SUV Prologue” Unveils a New Chapter for Honda e:N
As the third product of the Honda e:N brand, “e:N SUV Prologue” will adopt Honda’s brand new electric car-exclusive platform, “e:N Architecture W”, and advanced AI technology, achieving wild performance and an intellectual driving experience full of life and spirituality, taking Honda’s core values “Dynamic, Intelligent, and Beautiful” to a new level. “Prologue” foreshadows that this electric car will open a new chapter for the Honda e:N brand. The third wave of Honda e:N products will be launched in 2024.
- Intelligentization: Upgrading Intelligence, Building Safer and More Secure New Experience of Mobile Travel
The Shanghai Auto Show also set up a new generation “Intelligent Navigation Interconnection Honda CONNECT 4.0” and “Safety Perception Honda SENSING 360” experience area.
The new generation “Intelligent Navigation Interconnection Honda CONNECT 4.0” realizes a safe and secure driving experience of “pre-sensing, pre-guarding, and keeping driving away from danger” from three dimensions: “surrounding environment monitoring”, “passenger protection”, and “vehicle status diagnosis”. The system can also automatically match personal exclusive cabin settings through facial recognition; support more dimensional interconnection, achieve seamless connection between mobile and life; and provide richer entertainment content ecosystem. In addition, Intelligent Navigation Interconnection Honda CONNECT 4.0 can continue to learn and evolve through continuous accumulation of data and algorithm optimization.
“Intelligent Navigation Interconnection Honda CONNECT 4.0” will first be equipped on the newly launched Accord and Inspire, and then expand to other Honda cars.
The advanced driving assistance system “Safety Perception Honda SENSING 360” achieves 360-degree sensing around the vehicle through a forward-looking sensing camera and 5 mm wave radar. The monitoring range and recognition accuracy have been significantly improved. On this basis, the accident avoidance ability in complex traffic environments such as intersections has been strengthened, effectively reducing the risk of accidents and reducing the driving load.
“Safety Perception Honda SENSING 360” has been applied on the latest generation CR-V and XIANGYANG and will be further applied to other Honda cars in the future.
In this Shanghai Auto Show, Honda’s booth adopts a new design with reference to “Electric Vehicle Specialty Stores”. In addition to the Honda e:N brand pure electric vehicle, all other models on the Honda booth are hybrid vehicles and plug-in hybrid vehicles equipped with the “Strong Electricity and Intelligent Hybrid” system, including the newly launched Accord equipped with the “e:PHEV Strong Electricity and Intelligent Hybrid” system, which is exhibited for the first time at the China Auto Show.In addition, in the field of bicycles, Honda exhibited Honda Cub e:, Dax e:, ZOOMER e:, three electric bicycles at the Honda booth.
Representative Executive Officer, Executive Vice President, and Executive Officer in charge of abolition, Shinji Aoyama, said: “As a pioneering manufacturer in the field of two-wheeled vehicles, Honda will continue to introduce new electric bicycle products, constantly enrich our product lineup, and as always, provide customers with new experiential values based on ‘riding pleasure’ and lead the industry forward.”
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.