By Wang Yunpeng and Wang Yongxiang
In 2015, Honda, Japan’s second largest car manufacturer, launched a Christmas advertisement in the UK.
In the video, ASIMO robot, CBR motorcycle, sedan, SUV, sports car, F1 car, HondaJet private jet, Honda Mean Mower lawn mower, Honda Riding Assist-e balance system, Honda Transcooter electric scooter, etc. appear successively.
Coupled with the slogan “Dare to do the things others only dream of,” even ordinary consumers are likely to be stimulated by Honda’s emotions. Chinese consumers, in particular, are the best practitioners of turning this emotion into car orders.
In 2017, Honda sold a total of 1.44 million new cars in China, setting a historical record at the time. Subsequently, Honda’s sales in China continued to rise, reaching 1.55 million cars in 2019 and 1.63 million cars in 2020.
Looking at the entire domestic car market, Honda’s performance in the traditional car market can be described as quite brilliant. However, behind the glamour of the gasoline car market, Honda’s response in the “new four modernizations” wave of the automotive industry is very dim: clunky infotainment systems and sluggish electrification processes.
However, at the doorstep of the automotive “new four modernizations” era, Honda is not planning to continue to hesitate. On April 19th, at the 19th Shanghai Auto Show, Honda, together with its two joint venture companies in China, GAC Honda Automobile Co., Ltd. and Dongfeng Honda Automobile Co., Ltd., unveiled their latest achievements in their full range of electrified and intelligent vehicles.
Among the various electrified models at the Honda booth, the most eye-catching is the first Honda-branded pure electric prototype in China, the Honda SUV e:prototype, the plug-in hybrid model CR-V Sharp Hybrid e+ launched in February this year, and the plug-in hybrid model Sport Hybrid e+ in China.
According to the plan, the CR-V Sharp Hybrid e+ will be officially launched in the second half of this year, and the mass-produced version of the Honda SUV e:prototype will be launched in the spring of 2022, becoming the first pure electric vehicle model in China with the Honda logo completely suspended.
At the press conference, Katsushi Inoue, Executive Vice President of Honda and President of Honda China, said: “Within the next 5 years, we plan to launch 10 models of Honda brand pure electric vehicles in China, and through comprehensive measures and strategic deployment in multiple fields, we will comprehensively accelerate the development of electrification business in China, and achieve our “carbon neutrality” vision as soon as possible.”
Accelerating the new track of electrification
“Previously, Honda’s attitude towards electric cars was rather cold,” which may be a consensus among consumers and the industry.
However, this does not mean that Honda has no technical reserve in electrification.
Looking back at Honda’s car-making history, 1993 was one of its many milestone nodes. Because in that year, Honda exhibited its first electric vehicle, the EV-X, at the Tokyo Motor Show.
In 1997, the EV Plus completed trial installation at the Takanezawa plant, and the layout planning of EV models was officially launched. In 1999, Honda also began to explore hybrid power. It is worth mentioning that the layout in the 1990s also played a role in promoting Honda’s exploration of electrification development in the Chinese car market.
“Since its inception, Honda has been committed to pursuing excellent environmental performance and ultimate driving pleasure. It has been investing in the research and development of automotive electrification technology and accumulation since very early on. We hope to uphold Honda’s unique genes as always, and develop and provide pure electric vehicles that are full of driving pleasure with the profound technology and experience accumulated over the years in the field of hybrid and plug-in hybrid power.” Katsushi Inoue said.
From Katsushi Inoue’s statement, it is not difficult to see that Honda has never stopped exploring the path of electrification since 1993. The only dilemma that has been plaguing Honda is whether or not to turn to “full electrification” and when to turn. It is precisely this dilemma that has led outsiders to mistakenly believe that Honda is not interested in electrification.
In 2017, Honda stopped hesitating. On December 12th of that year, Honda’s electrification strategy in China was officially announced. Honda said that 2018 was the brand’s first year of electrification, and it would launch exclusive electric SUVs and electric motorcycles in the Chinese market. At the same time, electrification technology will also begin to popularize from 2018.In addition, Honda officials have stated that from 2018 onwards, their mid-term goal is to release more than 20 electric vehicle models in China by 2025, and to continuously expand their lineup of electric vehicles, utilizing the excellent resources available in China through the cooperative development system of Honda R&D China (HRD) and joint ventures.
Entering 2021, Honda’s electrification transformation is again accelerating. “Honda will also undergo a transformation in the future and become a company that produces electric vehicles. We are not only planning to release 10 purely electric vehicle models in the next five years, but we will also have corresponding products in all our electrified product matrices.” said Katsushi Inoue.
It is understood that Honda plans to achieve two-thirds of its global sales in electrified vehicles by 2030, of which electric vehicles will account for 15% and hybrid vehicles will account for 50%, achieving the highest percentage of electrification.
At this year’s Shanghai Auto Show, a collective appearance of hybrid models such as Accord, Crider, Breeze, Odyssey, Inspire, Envision, CR-V, Elysion, Breeze sharp hybrid, CR-V sharp hybrid e+, and pure electric vehicles such as Honda SUV e:prototype, VE-1+, VE-1 S+, M-NV, show that Honda’s acceleration of electrification transformation is not just talk.
“Honda is actively promoting technology advancement in whole-vehicle electrification and making full use of Honda’s unique technologies. We will create a new electric vehicle experience for future mobility. ” said Tetsu Miyahara, the head of the Commodity Strategy Department of Honda R&D China.
William Ford Gibson, a famous American science fiction writer, said: “The future is already here, it’s just not evenly distributed.” However, from the electrification trend shown at this year’s Shanghai Auto Show, it is clear that the future has arrived and is becoming more and more popular. At present, the wave of electrification is sweeping across the automotive industry, with traditional automaker brands such as BBA, Volkswagen, and Toyota all releasing new models and demonstrating new technologies, in order to embrace change.Compared to the “aggressive” approach taken by other traditional automakers in electrification, Honda appears more rational. Specifically, in the process of promoting electrification strategy, Honda adopts a comprehensive layout covering a diverse product matrix, including HEV, PHEV, EV, and other products.
This move may be interpreted by many as Honda being conservative in its electrification transformation.
However, the reality is not so. Some analysis indicates that traditional automakers’ fuel consumption negative credits pressure has increased since 2020. Under the strict requirements for new passenger vehicle fuel consumption of 4.0 liters/100 kilometers in 2025, the growing demand for high-end fuel vehicles from consumers may lead to further expansion of the gap for negative fuel consumption credits in the future. Compared with oil consumption reduction measures such as weight reduction and 48V, the use of strong hybrid power technology can significantly reduce the fuel consumption level of passenger cars, and hybridization is expected to accelerate in synchronization with electrification in the future.
Honda clearly recognizes this point. “Considering the freedom of customer use of (automobile products), we must respond to each customer’s needs through a more comprehensive product matrix. At present, if we focus solely on EVs, it may be too early.” Shigeki Inoue explained Honda’s electrification strategy in an interview.
In other words, after fully considering the reality, Honda’s electrification strategy is an ideal choice, and its focus has always been on “meeting market and customer needs.” This can be seen from the cumulative sales of more than 200,000 Honda hybrid vehicle models (HEV) in the Chinese market in 2020.
In addition, Honda’s rationality and consideration for “customer needs” are also reflected in its product strength. Among them, the GAC Honda Haoying Rui hybrid e+, equipped with the third-generation i-MMD PHEV technology developed based on Honda’s third-generation i-MMD dual-motor hybrid system, comprehensively integrates the advantages of “EV” and “HEV.” It can not only make pure electric travel the norm and bring more quiet and powerful driving experience but also meet various travel scenarios and solve users’ travel anxiety.
In the Honda SUV e:prototype, the concept of satisfying customer needs by Honda can also be seen. Based on Honda’s unique control technology, this new car has smooth and powerful acceleration performance and agile driving pleasure. “We do not compromise and make concessions on Honda’s unique driving performance on this car, nor do we compromise on driving performance because it is an electric vehicle. We have not made any compromise on driving performance.” Tetsuo Miyahara said.
In the area of intelligence that today’s consumers are greatly concerned about, Honda has equipped the Honda SUV e:prototype with the third-generation Honda CONNECT smart interconnect system. According to reports, this system not only implements “AI smart assistants”, “daily life interconnection”, “remote control”, and “OTA online upgrading”, but also comprehensively upgrades accurate navigation, online entertainment, and other aspects.
It is worth mentioning that the third-generation Honda CONNECT system will be gradually installed on all new Honda models starting from the second half of this year.
Meanwhile, to achieve the vision of “zero traffic accidents and fatalities”, Honda has also unveiled an upgraded version of Honda SENSING (Safety Super Sensing). This system can enhance the sensing ability and accuracy of surrounding environments in all directions through a wide-angle camera and 360-degree microwave radar, significantly improving vehicle identification, prediction, and judgment capabilities, and protecting the safety of traffic participants through upgrading the two major functions, namely “reducing the probability of accidents” and “reducing driving load”.
“In terms of the automotive industry, China’s market has the fastest industrial upgrading and technological change speed in the world, constantly innovating in the fields of electrification and smart technology, and leading the world. Honda will also continue to innovate by introducing more products and services that expand the possibilities of life, expand customer “mobility” and “life” joy, bring customers a full mobile joy travel experience, and actively participate in China’s social development.” Said the President of Honda, Mitsuhiro Ebata.
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.