VTEC Turbo to die in China by 2030 – electric 2022 Honda HR-V previewed

Honda will abandon regular combustion engines in the world’s largest car market by 2030 – China. Earlier this week, Honda announced that it will intensify its quest to achieve carbon neutrality by selling only hybrid electric vehicles (HEVs) and battery electric vehicles (BEVs) in China by the end of this decade.

“In April of this year, Honda announced its electrification target in all major markets of electrification combined, including China, which is to increase the ratio of electric vehicles and fuel cell vehicles within overall unit sales to 40 percent by 2030, to 80 percent by 2035, and then to 100 percent by 2040. To achieve these targets speedily and steadily, in China, after 2030, Honda will no longer introduce any new gasoline-powered models and will electrify all new models coming to market, such as HEVs and EVs,” said the company.

It also announced a new range of BEVs for China, the e:N series, which will also be exported to other markets.

Honda plans to introduce 10 e:N Series models over the next 5 years. Sales of the e:N Series will begin with the e:NS1 and e:NP1, which will go on sale in China in Spring 2022.

From the photos provided, it appears that both the e:NS1 and en:NP1 are the same cars, one each for Honda’s local joint venture Dongfeng Honda and GAC Honda. Both models appear to be identical to the all-new 2022 Honda HR-V.

Beyond these two production-ready models, Honda also announced three more e:N Series concepts - e:N COUPE Concept, e:N SUV Concept and e:N GT Concept. These three models will go on sale within the next 5 years. 

Dedicated EV specialist dealers

These e:N Series models will be sold at a separate e:N Series dealer network. For a start, Honda has identified approximately 1,200 existing Honda dealership locations around China to build dedicated e:N Series sales area within the dealership.

Honda is planning global exports of e:N Series models developed and produced in China to deliver new value to a greater number of customers around the world.

Plant expansion

Starting 2024, both GAC Honda and Dongfeng Honda will strengthen their separate production systems and capabilities by constructing new, highly-efficient and environmentally-responsible EV production plants.

Battery partnerships

As for batteries, which will be key to the speedy implementation of electrification initiatives, Honda will accelerate collaboration with its strategic alliance partner, CATL, and further strengthen its highly-competitive battery supply system.