Honda has revealed a new line-up of slick, sporty and decidedly future-thinking electric vehicles that comprises of two SUVs and a low-slung four-door GT that packs a racing-inspired cabin… but there’s a catch.
The Ye Series, which will be joined by a further three concepts in the very near future, is only destined for China and will be fully unveiled in the flesh at the Beijing motor show next week.
Honda says the models are a joint venture between itself and Dongfeng Honda and GAC Honda, two companies that operate in the Chinese domestic market. Despite looking like concept vehicles, the P7 and S7 SUVs are due on sale towards the end of the year.
The pair of sharply-styled crossovers ride on a newly developed dedicated platform and are designed in pursuit of the “joy of driving,” according to the slightly clunky press release that a companied the announcement.
They will be offered in either a one-motor rear-wheel-drive or dual-motor four-wheel-drive option, and have been specifically engineered to serve up “sporty and crisp handling”, although the company doesn’t mention anything about battery capacity, range and charging times.
Compared to the e:Ny1 and the Prologue, which is due to arrive in the US later this year, they are altogether more futuristic, with cameras replacing conventional wing mirrors and longer, wider and lower stances on the road.
To rub further salt into the wounds of Western customers, Honda has also said it plans to offer a production version of the low-slung and rather attractive GT Concept, which the Japanese company claims has a “race driver” seating position and “dynamic performance”.
There’s no word on the interiors of all three models (we will have to wait for the Beijing motor show for those), but Honda has said that these China-bound EVs will feature AI-powered assistants, oodles of space inside and funky LED lights that can be personalized with specific lighting patterns.
Analysis: Is this proof that hybrids still rule in Europe and the US?
Honda's decision to offer arguably its most exciting models since the innovative and stylish E exclusively to Chinese customers could be a good indication that it believes that hybrids and – dare we say it – combustion engines are still the powertrain of choice for the majority of customers everywhere else.
China is already leagues ahead of the rest of the world in terms of EV uptake, with a staggering 7.7 million units sold in 2023 alone. The country accounts for nearly 60 per cent of EV sales worldwide and more than half of the electric cars on the road today are found there.
So, it appears that if we want to see the results of Honda’s exciting and experimental new design language, we need to start buying more battery electric vehicles. Otherwise we're stuck with the distinctly safe e:Ny1, Prologue and a handful of plug-in hybrids.
