Honda Australia’s first EV "a couple of years" away

Honda expects to release its first electric vehicle in Australia by 2023. And it is likely to be an SUV.

That’s according to Honda Australia director Stephen Collins, who told carsales this week that the first EV to be officially released by the Japanese brand Down Under should arrive within “a couple of years”.

However, Collins declined to nominate a specific EV that would be first to market in Australia.

“At this stage I don’t know,” he said. “I can’t confirm what will be the first. I am hopeful in the not too distant future we will be able to give you a much clearer picture of what that looks like.”

While the cute Honda e electric mini-car is already on sale in Japan and Europe, it remains unavailable in Australia – except for a handful of privately imported examples.

Collins agreed an SUV would make sense as Honda Australia’s first EV, a suggestion backed up by recent global Honda actions.

Honda showed the e:Prototype compact SUV at the Shanghai show in April and it’s said to be entering production by mid-2022.

In the USA, Honda will exploit its relationship with General Motors to offer a large SUV called the Prologue in 2024.

It will be based on the Ultium platform and drivetrain being developed and put into production by General Motors and LG Energy Solutions.

“I think that [an SUV being the first Honda EV in Australia] is possible,” said Collins.

“It’s not rocket science that globally and here, SUV is where the action is. I guess my short answer is it would be possible and it just depends on what we can make available and does the business case work.

“But clearly going forward, SUVs – whether they be electric or other drivetrains – will be a very large percentage of our business.”

Asked specifically about the prospects for Prologue, Collins hedged.

“I can’t confirm if that specific model will be in right-hand drive, but what I can say is that if a vehicle is available in right-hand drive and it’s a global vehicle then we would be well in amongst the discussion.”

Back in March Collins said Honda Australia would be in a position to outline its electrification strategy within months. But he admits the shift of much of its model sourcing from Thailand to Japan has affected that timing.

Honda Australia’s next-gen Civic hatchback (due in late 2021) and all-new HR-V small SUV (due by April 2022) will both be imported from Japan – a change allowed by the July 1 shift to an agency retail model and a higher-spec model mix.

“The issue is the timing and what we are trying to pin down based on sourcing, particularly out of Japan.

“I think the strategy is the same, [but] with a lot of issues with semi-conductors and a whole host of those kinds of issues, the timing we are just trying to settle that down.

“The [electrification] strategy is a moving element we are trying to settle.”

An upside of the shift to Japan, Collins hinted, was the capacity to potentially access higher-tech vehicles such as EVs not available from Thailand.

“That opens a few more doors in terms of models and tech and safety tech and so on that’s more geared to Europe and Japan,” he said.

Globally, Honda has declared it wants to be all-electric by 2040. In Australia that shift starts with the roll-out of non-plug-in hybrid drivetrains for the new Civic and HR-V.

A new CR-V mid-size SUV will follow, also with a hybrid drivetrain. It may also get a name-change to ZR-V, a badge that has been registered in Australia. Alternatively, that badged may be applied to a new compact SUV.

“We are fulfilling our commitment we made some time ago which is the introduction of hybrids across our range at full model changes,” said Collins. “We are doing that.”

“So for us it’s a case of when, not if [Honda introduces pure EVs to Australia].  … it’s not in the immediate future, but definitely in the mid-term – and when I say mid-term I am talking in the next couple of years – that’s something we want to actively look for.

“The immediate term future in the next 12 months or so is getting back into that hybrid space and then getting back into electric.”

The only electrified model in the current Honda Australia range is the Accord hybrid, a niche-selling luxury sedan. There is also a PHEV version of the existing CR-V, but that is unavailable to Australia.