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Honda debuts roomy, pricey, Ultium-based Prologue EV
Posted by Talbot Payne on September 29, 2023
Farmington Hills — Honda Motor Co. on Thursday unveiled the Prologue SUV, its first electric vehicle for the U.S. market. It’s also the first Honda vehicle built in partnership with General Motors Co. on the Detroit automaker’s Ultium battery platform.
With a targeted price of under $50,000 and an estimated range of 300 miles, Prologue is aimed at the meat of the EV market currently dominated by the $50k Tesla Model Y. As governments from California to Washington, D.C., force automakers to go all-EV over the next 10 years, Prologue marks a different model strategy than Honda has been known for in the U.S. market.
Historically a value automaker, Honda has won over millions of American consumers — and gained a 7% U.S. market share — by conquesting entry-level buyers with sub-$30,000 models like the Civic, HR-V and Accord, then graduating them to $30k-plus family vehicles like the CR-V and Pilot. Further upscale, Honda’s Acura luxury brand has catered to customers looking for premium offerings.
Given EVs’ high costs and high-demographic customer, however, Prologue is aimed more at existing Honda customers who have craved an EV. It will likely be Honda’s most expensive model, with marketing photos showcasing the vehicle charging in an upscale home.
“In terms of the current income bracket for EV buyers they are going to be looking for EVs in this price range with this feature level,” said Rob Keough, director of battery-electric vehicle planning for Honda North America. “It’s going to appeal to Honda loyalists who have been waiting for the right EV in the electric space.”
The Japanese automaker has sold the wee, battery-powered Honda e hatchback in Japan and Europe since 2000 but its limited, 100-mile range and $33k price tag — 50% more than a base-trim Honda Civic — are deemed impractical for the U.S. market. Prologue’s Acura ZDX cousin — also built on the Ultium platform — was introduced earlier this year and is expected to start at $60,000, the brand’s priciest offering.
Some of the vehicles’ sticker shock could be negated by a $7,500 tax credit if they are assembled, as expected, in the U.S. Honda ultimately intends to produce its own EV platform in Ohio.
In addition to the luxury-class Model Y, Prologue will compete against $40k-$45k mainstream badges like the Toyota bZ4X, Kia EV6, Hyundai Ioniq 5, Nissan Ariya, Ford Mustang Mach-E and Chevy Blazer EV. These entries are designed to appeal to the mid-size SUV customer — the largest segment in the auto industry — as automakers try to meet EV sales volume mandates. California, for example, requires that 35% of automaker sales be battery-powered by the 2026 model year or face significant fines.
Prologue intends to gain EV buyers the old-fashioned Honda way: with room and vroom.
The SUV boasts a 121-inch wheelbase that is nearly nine inches longer than the bZ4X — and 10 inches bigger than its gas-engine sibling, the $42,000 Passport. That chassis, with the Ultium battery stored underneath, translates into a best-in-class, 137 cubic feet of interior space, most of which appears intended to benefit passenger space. Indeed, while Prologue’s starting price is closer to that of the $44k EV6, its square, roomy proportions are more akin to the $56k Kia EV9 three-row SUV that debuted recently.
Honda says that the cube-shaped Prologue is infused with the sporty DNA that has been synonymous with Honda since its early racing days. While Prologue isn’t planned for any racing series (unlike the Jaguar i-Pace SUV when it launched in 2018), its low-slung batteries offer a low center of gravity complimented by multi-link front and rear suspensions and available SPORT driving mode.
Prologue comes standard as a front-wheel-drive model with all-wheel-drive optioned. The twin-motor model features 288 horsepower and 333 pound-feet of torque. Its EX, Touring and Elite trims are familiar to owners of other models, and Honda hopes that familiarity will encourage adoption rom green-focused owners who have bought the brand’s Accord, CR-V and Insight hybrid models. Hybrids this year have accounted for half the sales of Accord and CR-V.
Hybrids, however, still rely primarily on gas engines for propulsion and refueling convenience.
Though Honda does not have its own charging network — the secret sauce that has turbocharged Tesla adoption — the company has partnered with six other manufacturers on building a national EV network. To maximize the existing, spotty, third-party EV network established by companies like Electrify America and EVGo, Prologue is equipped with Google Built-In. The infotainment operating system is equipped with Google Maps that, Honda says, will recommend charging stations on a road trip to optimize travel time — and even pre-condition the battery ahead of a charging stop.
Prologue’s 85 kWh, 400-volt, Ultium battery pack can add 65 miles of range in 10 minutes on a DC fast-charger, a long way from the 450 miles in three minutes from a gas-powered Passport. It’s also shy of the 800-volt platform Hyundai/Kia family and their 148-mile charging capability in 15 minutes.
Most EV owners are homeowners and charge in the garage. For those customers, Honda is eager to accommodate with a free 240-volt home-charging station, $500 installation subsidy and $100 public charger credit. Buyers can also opt for a portable charging kit, $250 installation credit and $300 public charging credit, or a simple $750 public charging credit.
Inside, the Honda offers a clean, high-tech cabin designed to maximize interior space. Like Tesla, the Prologue is operated by a steering-wheel shift stalk to open console space. The two-tier console offers class-leading storage capacity, a multi-use tray that enables twin smartphone changing, and big cupholders that can handle 32-ounce bottles. Standard safety-assists include rear cross-traffic braking, rear pedestrian alert, and blind-spot steering assist.
All this is wrapped in a simple exterior package that conforms with today’s simple Civic and Accord designs. Honda’s logo anchors the front fascia and H-o-n-d-a is spelled out on the rear tailgate. Prologue adopts the brand’s international “e:series” badge as well. The debut model featured a fresh paint color called North Shore Pearl.
“The arrival of the all-new Honda Prologue is a pivotal moment for the brand,” said Lance Woelfer, American Honda assistant vice president of sales. “Prologue is aptly named as our first volume Honda EV, a stylish, sporty and spacious SUV that will take us toward our vision of 100% zero emissions vehicle sales by 2040.”
Henry Payne is auto critic for The Detroit News. Find him at hpayne@detroitnews.com or Twitter @HenryEPayne.