One and the same
Honda has acquired a taste for EVs and now has a whole range of new electric models in the pipeline. We can show you two of them today, but we warn you in advance: you can actually forget about them immediately.
Honda has major EV plans, but until recently they mainly concerned markets outside Europe and in particular the Chinese market. In China, Honda has two joint ventures, partnerships that sell virtually the same models separately. These cars differ in detail and of course have a different name. That strategy is why we can now show you not one, but two new electric Hondas in one go. You can feel it coming: they are purely intended for the Chinese market.
The electric study models that Honda showed in China in 2023.
Honda presented a series of electric study models on the Shanghai exhibition floor almost a year ago. They all belonged to Honda’s EV line for the Chinese market: e:N. Two of the study models shown at the time were particularly similar: the e:NP2 Prototype and the e:NS Protoype. We have found the first photos and the first information of the production versions of those two cars in the database of the Chinese Ministry of Industry and Information Technology. We already suspected that the e:NP2 Prototype and e:NS Prototype looked ahead to one model that the two joint ventures will use. That turns out to be correct.
Honda e:NP2.
The Honda e:NP2 is the variant of the new electric crossover that the GAC Honda partnership is launching. Honda’s second joint venture, Dongfeng-Honda, is putting it into production as the e:NS2. In fact, it is one and the same car, although Honda has done its best to give the two their own front and rear. With its large C-boomerang-shaped extensions, the e:NP2 has a slightly more playful appearance in its lighting than the literally more rectilinear e:NS2. Both the electric Honda e:NP2 and the e:NS2 are 4.79 meters long, 1.84 meters wide and 1.57 meters high. Furthermore, they both have a 69 kWh battery and a 204 hp electric motor. The wheelbase is 2.74 meters.
This electric duo will not come to Europe, but Honda also has major EV plans for the European market. For example, it is launching a series of models fully developed as EVs that it attaches to its new EV family: the 0 series. You can read more about that here.
We also have other examples of Hondas that differ per joint venture. For example, the Crider (GAC Honda) and Envix (Dongfeng Honda) are actually the same models. The same goes for the Accord (GAC) and Inspire (Donggeng), Odyssey (GAC) and Elysion (Dongfeng). Fit (Jazz, GAC) and Life (Dongfeng), Vezel (HR-V, GAC) and XR-V (Dongfeng), Avancier (GAC) and UR-V (Dongfeng). In addition, the Honda CR-V is also available as a Breeze and the Civic hatchback is also available in China as an Integra hatchback. Are we still there?
– Thanks for information from Autoweek.nl