'Our time has come'
Autocar UK|October 23, 2024
Honda may be late to the EV party, but a barrage of bold new battery-powered cars is on the way. JAMES ATTWOOD speaks to boss Toshihiro Mibe at its R&D base to find out what's in store
JAMES ATTWOOD
'Our time has come'

Is there a more confusing, esoteric car company than Honda? One capable of astonishing ambition and technical innovation, yet also of missing industry trends and producing anonymously uninspiring models.

Here's a firm bold enough to enter Formula 1 just a year after producing its first four-wheeled vehicle, take on Ferrari with the NSX and push hot hatch boundaries with the Civic Type R. It has even built a luxury jet. Yet it also produces distinctly beige fare such as the Jazz and the e:Ny1, was late to diesel engines and SUVs, and squandered early technical leads in hybrid and even electric vehicles.

In the UK and mainland Europe, Honda is far removed from its mid-2000s peak of more than 100,000 annual sales, eclipsed by ambitious rivals and now lacking the EV range required to push volume in the era of the zero-emission vehicle mandate. Honda is not alone among Japanese car firms in being hesitant about EVs, but its line-up lacks the truly market-pleasing combustion models that rivals such as Toyota can fall back on.

Honda's recent EV efforts exemplify its frustratingly uneven approach. The defiantly different E won plaudits for its distinctive design when it was launched in 2020, but the tiny car was doomed by a low range and high price and is already out of production. It was followed by the e:Nyl, a compact SUV that fails to shine in almost any aspect. In the US, Honda's only EV, the Prologue, is built by GM on one of the US firm's platforms as part of a now-canned partnership.

And yet, at a time when numerous rivals with larger EV line-ups are rolling back their ambitious targets, Honda remains committed to selling only battery-electric or hydrogen fuel cell cars by 2040.

Honda's plans to do so revolve around a new line of at least seven models that will sit on a new bespoke platform, featuring new batteries, new compact electric motors and a focus on efficiency.

この記事は Autocar UK の October 23, 2024 版に掲載されています。

7 日間の Magzter GOLD 無料トライアルを開始して、何千もの厳選されたプレミアム ストーリー、9,000 以上の雑誌や新聞にアクセスしてください。

この記事は Autocar UK の October 23, 2024 版に掲載されています。

7 日間の Magzter GOLD 無料トライアルを開始して、何千もの厳選されたプレミアム ストーリー、9,000 以上の雑誌や新聞にアクセスしてください。

AUTOCAR UKのその他の記事すべて表示
The venomous nature of the Cobra
Autocar UK

The venomous nature of the Cobra

Last week, Matt Prior drove a totally new kind of AC Cobra. This is a car with one of the strongest allures of all - but also an incredibly complex and controversial history.

time-read
3 分  |
October 23, 2024
SKODA KAMIQ
Autocar UK

SKODA KAMIQ

A long getting-to-know-you trip to Spain reveals all

time-read
2 分  |
October 23, 2024
THE SEVEN-YEAR TITCH
Autocar UK

THE SEVEN-YEAR TITCH

Outgoing baby Jag is plush, practical and now eminently affordable

time-read
2 分  |
October 23, 2024
'Our time has come'
Autocar UK

'Our time has come'

Honda may be late to the EV party, but a barrage of bold new battery-powered cars is on the way. JAMES ATTWOOD speaks to boss Toshihiro Mibe at its R&D base to find out what's in store

time-read
8 分  |
October 23, 2024
Lion kings
Autocar UK

Lion kings

Plush, powerful four-door cars are an endangered species - and now Peugeot has called time on its latest, the 508 PSE. STEPHEN DOBIE compares it with its most significant ancestor, the 505 GTI

time-read
6 分  |
October 23, 2024
VOLKSWAGEN GOLF
Autocar UK

VOLKSWAGEN GOLF

Wolfsburg gives the lesser-known Golf PHEV a big-impact refresh

time-read
7 分  |
October 23, 2024
PORSCHE PANAMERA GTS
Autocar UK

PORSCHE PANAMERA GTS

Stuttgart's latest 'bahnstormer targets driver appeal over outright punch

time-read
2 分  |
October 23, 2024
MERCEDES-AMG GT 63 PRO
Autocar UK

MERCEDES-AMG GT 63 PRO

Hardcore variant of V8 sports car engineered with track days in mind

time-read
3 分  |
October 23, 2024
TESLA REVEALS ROBOTAXI
Autocar UK

TESLA REVEALS ROBOTAXI

Firm unveils Cybercab coupé and 20-seat Robovan in autonomy push

time-read
2 分  |
October 23, 2024
DACIA PLOTS AMBITIOUS EXPANDED EURO LINE-UP
Autocar UK

DACIA PLOTS AMBITIOUS EXPANDED EURO LINE-UP

Firm teases something different’ ahead of impending C-segment reveal

time-read
2 分  |
October 23, 2024