Honda Floods the Zone With EVs In China—Could They Come to the U.S.?
These models are the start of Honda's pledge for 100 percent EV only sales in China by 2035.
Honda has exploring interesting electric car collaborations of late, such as producing an EV with Sony complete with PlayStation 5 functionality, and the whole General Motors tie-in with the Prologue SUV. In China, however, the automaker is showing off a trio of new EVs designed for that market (and perhaps beyond), revealing the cars at the Auto Shanghai show. The reveal is part of Honda's master plan to expand its "e:N" vehicle series and reach 100 percent new EV sales in China by 2035.
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Honda wants to be fully carbon neutral by 2050, so pushing for an all-electric lineup in one of the biggest markets in the world isn't a bad start. The three vehicles that Honda brought to Shanghai are the first of 10 new EVs that Honda plans to sell in China by 2027. Of the three you see here, Honda refers to two of them as "prototypes" while the third is a "concept." The automaker didn't give us a ton of information to work with but there is enough here to pique our interest.
Honda e:NP2 Prototype and e:NPS Prototypes
According to Honda, its e:N series is supposed to represent a design concept of "Dynamics, Intelligence, and Beauty." Brushing away the flowery language, basically Honda is saying that these vehicles should be fun to drive, have spacious interiors with modern tech, and eye catching exterior design. Considering the e:NP2 and e:NPS are prototypes, we can't speak to how they drive or their interior appointments. We do know that the production version of these vehicles will have the Honda CONNECT 4.0 software suite but beyond that, the interior has been kept under wraps. All Honda has given us is a glimpse at the exterior design of each vehicle.
At first glance the e:NP2 and e:NPS look similar but closer inspection will show that the two prototypes have distinctly different LED light bar headlight designs and front ends. The e:NP2 does give us strong Honda Civic vibes, but the design linage in the e:NPS isn't as obvious. From the A-pillars back the two vehicles appear to be almost identical.
Honda e:N SUV
The Honda e:N SUV is designated as a "concept" rather than a "prototype" so we can assume that it's much farther away from seeing production than the other two models. We're also not sure why only this particular vehicle is referred to as an SUV when the e:NP2 and e:NPS also seem to fit the description. Our first guess is that the e:N SUV may be a larger three-row SUV while the other models could be smaller crossovers.
The e:N SUV looks quite monolithic and sleek with a similar LED light bar design as the other prototypes. The large, chunky wheels give it a presence that would be fitting for a full-size SUV if our assumptions are correct. Like the other vehicles, Honda hasn't revealed the SUV's interior details so we're left guessing there. We think its safe to assume there will be plenty of screens and oddly shaped futuristic seats that won't make it to production.
For now, all of these EVs are slated for the Chinese market but that doesn't mean some variant of any one of these vehicles won't make it stateside. After all, Honda wants to eventually switch to 100 percent EVs for all markets, not just China. We'll keep you posted as soon as we know more.
Andrew Beckford’s passion for cars started as a middle schooler when his friend Richie explained how an internal combustion engine works. He was bitten by the bug and the rest, as they say, is history. He dug deep into the tuner scene and eventually wrote for Turbo Magazine, Import Tuner, Super Street. He covered car shows, feature builds, and reviewed racing games for those magazines in addition to covering motorsports including Formula Drift, Indy Car, and F1 for his personal blog. Eventually Beckford joined MotorTrend to cover the daily automotive news beat. Besides being a gearhead, Beckford has been a gamer since the ’80s and is a huge fan of the arcade racing games of the ’90s like Daytona USA, SEGA Rally, and Ridge Racer. Beckford’s a movie buff as well, especially comic book films from DC and Marvel. When car culture crosses over with gaming and entertainment, rest assured Beckford is aware of it. In addition to serving as a consultant on a “triple A” racing titles, he’s reviewed major racing games such as Forza Motorsport, Need for Speed, Gran Turismo, F1, and more. He’s also interviewed blockbuster directors including Steven Caple Jr. (Transformers: Rise of the Beasts) and Neill Blomkamp (Gran Turismo). His biggest profile to date was with Robert Downey Jr. on his love affair with cars and his show Downey’s Dream Cars on MAX. Beckford’s profile of Downey Jr. was the first print cover story written by an African American in MotorTrend’s history. Along with KJ Jones, Andrew Beckford also heads up MotorTrend’s celebration of Black History Month by spotlighting diverse voices in the automotive industry and motorsports. Beckford’s first car was a 1982 Nissan Stanza affectionately named “Stanley” by his late mother.
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