"A few years back, as part of an effort to demonstrate that it was taking EVs more seriously than it had previously demonstrated, Honda's global CEO Toshihiro Mibe gathered members of the automotive press in Tokyo for a status seminar. He noted its partnership with General Motors as a hallmark, with joint plans to build vehicles not only on GM's current Ultium platform, but to collaborate on future affordable EV underpinnings for later in the 2020s."
"He discussed Honda's plans to pilot solid-state batteries, an innovative and potentially transformative area in which he felt Honda could dominate. And he hinted at potential strategies for expanding hybrid production, particularly into its larger American market SUVs and trucks. In the intervening years, none of that has really happened. So when Honda invited me to another such confab at this year's Japan Mobility Show, I vehemently accepted. I arrived with a lot of questions. I managed to parse out a few answers."
Honda announced a partnership with General Motors to use GM's Ultium platform and to co-develop affordable EV underpinnings for the later 2020s. Honda planned to pilot solid-state batteries and expand hybrid production into larger American-market SUVs and trucks. The $5 billion collaboration with GM was canceled less than 18 months after its April 2022 start. The partnership produced only two badge-engineered vehicles, the ZDX and Prologue, and the ZDX was later canceled. Honda cited difficulty finding a clear, profitable EV strategy and emphasized retaining technology leadership while selectively sharing innovations with other OEMs.
Read at insideevs.com
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