Honda & GM’s EV plans are becoming concrete
Further details have now emerged about the North American auto alliance announced by General Motors and Honda involving among other things, vehicle platforms including those for electric cars. An insider report from the US claims there are already concrete schedules and plants for the electric Honda models.
The news website Automotive News refers to insiders who say that GM will be building one battery-electric crossover model each for the Honda and Acura brands with its Ultium batteries. The electric model for Honda will be produced in Ramos Arizpe, Mexico, starting in 2023, and the model for Acura will be produced in Spring Hill in the US state of Tennessee starting in 2024. That being said, other people familiar with the events have said these plans have probably not yet been decided.
When the collaboration was announced in September 2020, it was said that planning discussions were to begin immediately, with engineering work beginning in early 2021. Those planning discussions have now apparently revealed that GM will build the jointly developed models for the Japanese company and that GM technology will not be used at Honda plants. The agreement in principle to develop two BEV models dates back to as early as April 2020.
GM currently builds internal combustion Chevrolet Blazer and Equinox models at the Ramos Arizpe plant. According to an earlier report by Automotive News, there were rumours last year that the Mexican plant could be converted to produce electric cars by 2024. The report about the alleged conversion was not confirmed by General Motors at the time. The electric Honda would be the first project.
The Cadillac Lyriq is also to be built in Spring Hill in the future – until production of the electric Acura starts there, GM already has about two years of experience with the production of an Ultium vehicle in Tennessee.
Neither General Motors nor Honda would comment on the current report. A spokesperson for the Japanese manufacturer told US media that it would release information on its electrification strategy in North America “later this year.”
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