Japan’s Honda Motor will launch a new electric vehicle brand in China next year – and will only launch battery, hydrogen or hybrid vehicles there from 2030.
The new brand will be called “e:N Series” and it plans to roll out 10 models with partners GAC and Dongfeng Motor over the next five years, Honda said on Wednesday.
Its two joint ventures, GAC-Honda and Dongfeng-Honda, plan to build new EV-only assembly plants that are expected to begin production in 2024.
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The planned new models will use a new vehicle operating system and are being developed based on an auto product platform designed for electric vehicles.
Known for its fuel-efficient internal-combustion engines, Honda sold over 1.6 million vehicles in China last year and will set up an e:N Series section in all its existing retail stores.
Honda also plans to set up dedicated e:N Series retail stores but did not provide detail on that plan. Honda has roughly 1,200 Honda brand stores currently.
China’s sales for electric, plug-in hybrid and hydrogen fuel-cell vehicles are expected to reach three million this year, the China Association of Automobile Manufacturers said on Tuesday.
- Reuters with additional editing by Sean O’Meara
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