The all-new Honda e:NS1 Battery Electric Vehicle (BEV) will be on sale in China starting today.
Honda Motor (China) Investment Co., Ltd and Dongfeng Honda Automobile Co., Ltd are launching a new all-electric crossover called the e:NS1 in China. The Honda e:NS1 has been rumoured since 2019 and is essentially a battery electric Honda HR-V with more technology, a refreshed face. While the e:NS1 is manufactured by Dongfeng Honda, it has a twin called the e:NP1, which will be open for reservation in May 2022. The e:NP1 will be made by GAC Honda instead, but will otherwise be identical.
Despite being obviously related to the new HR-V, Honda says that these e:N cars will sit on a ‘newly developed’ e:N Architecture F. On this platform, the electric motor sits under the hood, powering the front wheels. An EV battery of unspecified chemistry and capacity sits underneath the occupants for a lower centre of gravity. It enables 510km of electric driving based on CLTC standards thanks to aerodynamics technologies developed by Honda through the development of its sporty models.
The e:NS1 and e:NP1 will be chalk full of technologies that are sure to make the Chinese consumers happy. These include Honda CONNECT 3.0, a 15.1″ portrait-oriented Display Audio, the Driver Monitoring Camera, which can monitor the driver for drowsiness.
Despite sharing its looks with the HR-V, the e:N cars sport their own unique characteristics. This includes a luminescent ‘H’ emblem up front and the first application of the letters of the “HONDA” brand emblazoned across the back instead of the traditional ‘H’ badge. The front grille is closed off and body coloured instead with a cutout for the charging port under the front ‘H’ emblem.
Here’s the press release with Honda’s plans for EVs in China.
PRESS RELEASE
Starting with e:NS1 and e:NP1, Honda will introduce 10 e:N Series models by 2027 and accelerate electrification in China throughout the value chain including sales and production operations.
With the market introduction of e:NS1 and e:NP1, Honda will make a full-fledged launch of its online stores in China, where the entire process of ordering, from consideration of various options to the placement of an order, can be done online through one-on-one direct communication. At the same time, Honda will guide customers into the world of the e:N design concept of “perceiving the future at a glance and by touch” and offer customers a completely new purchasing experience.
Moreover, Honda will renew existing showrooms. GAC Honda will start rolling out showrooms specializing in the sales of electrified vehicles and building new showroom locations at shopping malls starting from major cities such as Beijing, Shanghai and Guangzhou. Dongfeng Honda will install a section dedicated to the e:N Brand at each of its existing stores.
■Production initiatives: GAC Honda and Dongfeng Honda to build dedicated EV plants
To ensure stable quality and quantity of customer deliveries of e:N Series models, whose lineup will continue to expand in the coming years, GAC Honda and Dongfeng Honda, respectively, will each build a new dedicated EV production plant, with an aim to become operational in 2024.
