Honda has pledged to invest $64 billion to develop seven bespoke electric vehicles, which it plans to launch by 2030 on its way to selling only EVs and fuel-cell vehicles after 2040. However, there doesn’t seem to be a consensus within the company that there is enough demand for EVs, which is reflected in its limited selection of available battery-powered models.
This is true for Japan’s home market but also for North America, where Honda sells two vehicles (the Prologue and the Acura ZDX), both of which are made by General Motors on the Ultium platform. Whenever Honda’s top executives come out to speak about selling fully electric vehicles, it always sounds like a mixed message that, in part, reaffirms the brand’s commitment to electrification while also suggesting it’s not yet convinced this is the way.
The main thing is old school manufacturers insist on having 12 million different tiers and options. I’m close to caving in and getting a new car for the first time because my last (recent) second hand one has failed me and can’t handle a hill if I’m carrying a bit of stuff/people (it’s a 1.0 ecoboost engine). I would then definitely go electric but it’s annoyingly hard to beat Tesla especially if you want the bells and whistles, which I would if I’m gonna drop 40k€+ on a new car I’d plan on keeping a long time. None compete with a model Y if you go for a full option trim.