Honda Electric SUV Concept Previews "Future Mass-Production Model" for China

4 years, 1 month ago - 28 September 2020, autoevolution

Slowly but surely, Honda intends to catch up to the competition in terms of all-electric technology.

After the cutesy little "e" hatchback, the "SUV e:concept" is set to go official in the nearest of futures.

Described as the automaker's first electric vehicle for the Chinese market, the mass-production model based on the design study shown at Auto China 2020 raises more questions than it answers. For starters, Honda didn't say a thing about the powertrain or the battery.

Will it be rear-wheel drive like the smaller sibling? Will customers be treated with a dual-motor option? Is the range going to challenge that of the Hyundai Kona Electric? While we wait for answers to these questions, Honda is much obliged to confirm a few technicalities.

The yet-to-be-named utility vehicle "will be equipped with omnidirectional ADAS," translating to all the driver-assistance systems you would expect from a high-tech EV. "Next-generation Honda Sensing" is coming too, promising improved decision-making performance, recognition, and prediction. Because technology is very high up on the priorities list of an EV customer, the newcomer is going to feature an AI assistant and over-the-air updates.

From a design standpoint, you can clearly tell that three doors are not going to happen in series-production specification. This fellow here is merely a preview of things to come, a concept whose sole purpose is to attract media attention and hype up prospective customers.

Somewhat disappointingly, Honda did not publish any photographs of the interior. The lack of side mirrors is a clear indicator that virtual mirrors are planned for the production model, consisting of two video cameras and two monitors. Speaking of which, it wouldn't come as a surprise if the cockpit will take inspiration from the Honda e hatchback.

The EV that spearheads the automaker's electric agenda comes with five displays, occupying the entire width of the dashboard. This solution may not be elegant, but advancements in electric powertrains and autonomous driving technologies need to be considered as well.