GM And Honda Expanding Partnership To Make Affordable EVs

Last Updated on April 7, 2022 by Anu Joy

General Motors and Honda have announced that the two brands are expanding their multi-year partnership for a few more years to deliver new affordable EVs. The two brands inked a deal two years back, and this new extension now includes “a series of affordable electric vehicles” that will be built on GM’s Flexible EV platform. The companies say they will begin the production of “millions” of these affordable EVs, including crossover SUVs and hatchbacks, in 2027.

The two brands started their partnership two years ago in a bid to develop two Honda-branded electric vehicles—the Prologue and Acura SUV. These two vehicles were to be built on GM’s Flexible EV platform with the Ultium powertrain. As part of the partnership, the Japanese brand was tasked with designing the exteriors and interiors of the new EVs, while the platform will be engineered to support Honda’s specifications.

The vehicles under this partnership are to be developed and put into production by 2024. The new vehicles will be priced below the upcoming GM EVs and are expected to start at $30,000. These new models will use a common platform and share new battery technologies that the two companies are exploring, such as solid-state batteries. For now, both Honda and GM are shying away from sharing the names of these future EV products, but they do plan to make them cheaper than standard oil-powered vehicles.

On this partnership, Mary Barra, GM chair and CEO said, “GM and Honda will share our best technology, design, and manufacturing strategies to deliver affordable and desirable EVs on a global scale, including our key markets in North America, South America, and China”.

Honda and GM aren’t the only brands inking partnerships to make EVs. Recently, Honda had a similar deal with Sony to develop EVs, and we have also seen Ford and Volkswagen working together on making electric vehicles.