Honda has talked about its EV collaboration with GM for a long while now, but today we finally get our first glimpse of something physical to come from it. And by physical, we mean a computer rendering.
This is the first official photo of the Honda Prologue, which Honda intends to launch in 2024. When it comes to seeing Honda products before they are officially launched in prototype or production form, this is a rather early sneak peek — Honda tends to keep its products close to its vest. Unfortunately, the single photo of the Prologue you’re looking at here is the meat of the news today. But even left at that, it allows us a neat little preview of this SUV.
The Prologue is the result of a collaboration between designers in Honda’s Los Angeles design studio and back in Japan. Conceptually, the idea was to make an SUV that looked modern and fresh, but also looks comfortable in a showroom of existing Honda vehicles. Honda says that aerodynamics were a huge focus of the project, because better aero means more range and reduced cabin wind noise. As a result, Honda says it ended up with simple, clean surfaces for its body lines.
“As the project leader for the exterior design of the Honda Prologue, it was very exciting to work with a young team of designers with new capabilities to create an SUV with clean, simple lines and a strong influence from our global EV models, including the Honda E,” said Jiro Ikeda, exterior design leader. “We balanced that with a neo-rugged look that you see in our current lineup, to ensure Prologue represents a true Honda EV.”
You’ll notice in the single photo that the Prologue has a long wheelbase, short front overhang and meaty-looking tires. There’s an opening for air to pass through the lower portion of the bumper, but there’s no dramatic grille. It has a relatively narrow black band of a shield that runs across the front of the car, and this piece contains both the headlights on the edges and the Honda logo front and center. Lots of black-painted accents all over give this silver car a classy and eye-catching two-tone look, and the oversize wheels are drawing a lot of attention to themselves in this photo. Lastly, we’ll point out that the charging port is prominently placed in the front fender.
In Honda’s presentation to media, it said that the first priority for Prologue sales will be Zero Emission Vehicle (ZEV) states, but expect it to roll it out elsewhere soon after. Honda didn’t say exactly where it will produce the Prologue yet, but says it will be able to assemble the vehicle in its own facilities. Following the launch of the Prologue, Honda says the first EVs built on its own in-house Honda e:Architecture will arrive in 2026.
To support the Prologue and future EVs, Honda says it’s going to be installing Level 2 and fast-charging stations in dealerships across the country. Honda also showed us a few photos of a new design language for dealers, below. The white and blue color scheme remains, but the building itself looks far more modern and futuristic than Honda’s current dealers. Before all you eagle-eyed commenters point it out in the pictures, yes, we also see the Euro market Honda HR-V/Japan market Honda Vezel in the photos of a U.S.-intent dealership.
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Source: www.autoblog.com