Honda held a virtual event online to showcase their EV strategy for the Chinese market, via their new EV sub-brand e:N. The Japanese brand unveiled two production-ready electric vehicles: the e:NS1 and the e:NP1. Apart from these two EV’s we also got to see three electric concept cars. The e:N SUV Concept, e:N GT Concept, and e:N Coupe Concept.

Overview

Honda is finally getting serious about electrification and the brand's plans are getting clearer with time. They have a range of strategies for different markets. The Japanese Automaker sells electric cars like the Honda E in Europe and Japan, while for the US, Honda is collaborating with General Motors to launch a new electric SUV, dubbed the Prologue.

Meanwhile, in China, Honda intends to discontinue the production of combustion engines altogether, by the year 2030. With ten new electric Honda vehicles slated for launch in China over the next five years, the range of EV’s on offer there will expand rapidly. As a result, the brand is transitioning to a naming system that is based on alphanumeric codes. All of this will take place under their new moniker, e:N.

Honda's EV Sub Brand - e:N

The car from Honda’s new all-electric brand is the new e-NS1, which is an electric version of the Honda HR-V. It will be sold in China through the Dongfeng Honda collaboration, while the e:NP1 looks similar to the Honda SUV E: Prototype, albeit it will be put together by Honda's second Chinese joint venture, GAC Honda. However, these are not Honda's first electric vehicles in China. The Japanese automaker had already been selling the Everus VE-1 and Ciimo X-NV. With the new e:NS1 and e:NP1, the cars will now wear a Honda badge instead.

Apart from these two production-spec cars, three more futuristic concept cars were showed off at the virtual event. The e:N SUV, the e:N GT sedan, and the sleeker, more compact e:N Coupe. These boxy-looking cars that feature flat planes, will be built on a new platform called the e:N Architecture, and will include a more unified electronics package called the e:N OS. CATL will supply the batteries for all of these models.

Conclusion

The e:NS1 and e:NP1 will go in sale in China by spring 2022, while future cars from the e:N brand should hit the road in China by 2024 and beyond. There’s no word yet, on whether these all-electric models will be sold elsewhere. However, Honda is now joining a growing number of automakers to make China into a production base for exports.

Watch the entire presentation below