Honda To Unveil All-Electric Prologue SUV In Shift To 100% Zero-Emission Vehicles

Honda (HMC) has plans to take the wraps off an all-new electric SUV that marks the automaker’s commitment to zero-emission vehicles in North America dubbed the Prologue.

Honda has said will have 100% zero-emission vehicle sales in North America by 2040.

The fully electric Prologue SUV will be available in early 2024, with more details about the EV available in the coming months, Honda said. It was unclear what the driving range, price, or appearance of the Prologue would be at the time of writing.

At the same time, Honda said it will introduce an all-electric Acura SUV in 2024.

Both EVs will be powered by Ultium battery systems in partnership with General Motors.

“Our first volume Honda BEV will begin our transition to electrification and the name Honda Prologue signals the role it will play in leading to our zero-emission future,” Dave Gardner, executive vice president of American Honda, said in a statement. “The Prologue will provide our customers with a battery-electric SUV with the excellent functionality and packaging they’ve come to expect from Honda.”

The company also has plans to introduce a new series of EV models in the second half of the decade that will be based on the new e.Architecture EV platform with development led by Honda, it said.

Back in April, Honda Global Toshihiro Mibe announced the automaker’s vision for carbon-neutrality by 2050 for its products and corporate activities, including the sale of EVs. Mibe said, at the time, the vision would include moving from 40% BEVs and fuel cell-powered vehicles to 80% fully electric vehicles by 2035 and 100% by 2040.

Honda’s venture into the electric vehicle market began in 1997 when it launched the EV Plus – one of the first hybrid vehicles to launch in the U.S. market. It followed the EV Plus up with the Honda Insight in 1999, Honda FCX in 2002 – a fuel cell model – and the Clarity in 2017.

“We know customers who have a good experience with a hybrid vehicle are more likely to buy a battery electric vehicle in the future,” Gardner said. “Our strategy is focused on introducing a higher percentage of hybrids in core models in the near term, making a committed effort to achieve higher volume leading to the introduction of our Honda Prologue.”

Shares of Honda were trading at $32.76 as of premarket hours on Monday, up 29 cents, or 0.89%.