Honda is establishing a division dedicated to developing electric vehicles and other electric products, including storage and generation, the company said Tuesday (via Reuters). The Japanese automaker has so far lagged somewhat behind the rest of the market when it comes to EVs.
Last year, Honda announced extensive plans to electrify its lineup, including an intent to launch 30 all-electric vehicles by 2030, and a goal to reach a production volume of more than 2 million electric vehicles per year by the same time. Honda has also committed $40 billion over the next decade to electrification – across the entire automotive division, as well as developing other electrified products, including robots, personal transportation options and space technology.
At CES earlier this month, Honda also introduced its joint venture with Sony to build EVs, under the new “Afeela” brand name, and showed off their first prototype vehicle. The plan is to begin pre-orders for the first Afeela cars in 2025, with deliveries starting in 2026 in North America.
The new dedicated electrification division at Honda will launch on April 1 and will pool resources within the company that are currently scattered across different parts of the internal organizational structure. Honda also said it plans to market mid-to-large EVs in North America and China, with small-to-midsize cars making up the majority of its offerings in the rest of the world.
