Honda brings in electric era with Prologue SUV
As its name would suggest, the Prologue marks a line in the sand for Honda: it is going all electric, and this new SUV will officially kickstart that transition. New images reveal a chunky exterior that appears to shun today’s EV styling norms
Following a lengthy build-up, Honda has finally lifted the covers on its Prologue electric SUV. The nameplate was revealed more than a year ago and is a nod to the brand’s upcoming series of battery electric models.
Led by the LA design team, the Prologue is a conventional five-door SUV and will lead the brand’s charge to sell only fully electric cars in North America by 2040. While the Prologue is not Honda’s first BEV, it marks what Dave Gardner, executive vice president of Honda America, describes as the brand’s formal “transition to electrification.”
Full specifications are, confusingly, still to come – this is a “styling reveal” only for now. First impressions do not appear to show anything particularly ground-breaking, with the proportions and overall design broadly in line with other modern SUVs. It does at least bear a close resemblance to artwork teased earlier in 2022, which revealed a somehow chunky-yet-sleek looking off-roader. It’s a nice looking thing but does feel quite restrained.
Indeed, the design language is described as “neo-rugged” and is aimed at those looking to waft around the city in comfort but also take to the hills. Short front and rear overhangs give the appearance of a long wheelbase which we assume is down to its space-creating battery electric platform. It is more than just an optical illusion, though. At 3093mm, its wheelbase is longer than the standard Range Rover 5 (2997mm). And with 102.6 cubic feet of passenger space in the cabin, it is a little roomier than its sibling in the Honda HR-V, but also competitors like the Toyota RAV4. A panoramic sunroof should make for a pleasant place to spend time, particularly when traversing the great outdoors as intended.
At the rear, there are shades of the Range Rover Evoque with a sloping roofline that fades into a narrow rear window and subtle roof spoiler. The taillights flank a gloss black insert, adding width to an already muscular rear end thanks to those flared wheel arches. Those chunky six-spoke alloy wheels may look familiar, following a similar (yet significantly downsized) design that debuted on the cute Honda e hatchback.
A charging port flap behind the front wheel arch is the only obvious indication that this is an electric vehicle; the Prologue does not appear overly smoothed for aerodynamic purposes and carries the flat face of an SUV from decades prior. And there is no pebble-smooth front end either, with the upper mask dominated by a gloss black insert and air intakes either side. The headlight arrangement mirrors that of the rear, with a Honda badge sitting on a bold gloss black insert at the centre.
On the interior, there is the usual mix of digital screens and physical buttons (more convenient for pressing tasks) and a restrained colour palette of grey and black; Honda says this was inspired by the snow-topped mountain peaks found around Lake Tahoe, California. Virtual cockpits are nothing new at this stage, with most screens digital and configurable. But rather than an inset screen, the main instrument cluster is mounted on a thin tablet-like display. A similar arrangement can be seen on GAC’s recently revealed electric sports car, which sits in an entirely different price bracket, perhaps a sign of ultra-premium trends filtering into the mass market.
The Prologue is also the first BEV to utilise General Motors’ Ultium batteries following a strategic partnership revealed in April 2022. A flurry of other EVs based on Honda’s new e:Architecture electric platform (using the same GM battery packs) is expected between 2025 and 2030. In China, it expects to introduce ten new EVs by 2027. The Prologue will kick off what Honda calls the “year of the SUV” in 2024 as it launches new versions of the HR-V, CR-V and Pilot. An Acura-branded electric SUV will arrive at a similar time to the Honda Prologue, no doubt bearing close resemblance to the Precision EV concept shown recently.
But it’s not all about SUVs and family cars; Honda also plans to launch two new sports cars in the coming years that are driver focussed. “While taking on challenges toward carbon neutrality and electrification, Honda always wants to offer fun for its customers,” said Honda president Toshihiro Mibe during the brand’s EV Roadmap conference in April 2022. The impact of electrification on sports car design will clearly be significant, and a recent Car Design News livestream revealed some fascinating twists and turns that could come down the line.