Honda previews polished Prologue electric SUV

Honda has shown an early sketch of its all-new Prologue SUV. Set to be launched in 2024, the model has been designed primarily using virtual reality (VR) tools and could represent the next stage of Honda’s global design language.

“As the project leader for the exterior design of the Honda Prologue, it was very exciting to work with a young team of designers with new capabilities to create an SUV with clean, simple lines and a strong influence from our global EV models, including the Honda e,” said Jiro Ikeda, Honda exterior design leader. “We balanced that with a neo-rugged look that you see in our current lineup to ensure Prologue represents a true Honda EV.”

The image shows the exterior of the car – a large five-door model with a long body, a large flat bonnet and a compact greenhouse. At the front, a visor-like strip of black material runs across the top and spans the width of the car – a tribute to the large glossy black visor on the Honda e. Inside it are two thin and simple linear LED headlights, drawing the eye to the Honda logo positioned at the centre. A clean piece of body work sits below with a single rectangular ridge reflecting the shape of the large lower air intake, while small rectangular fog lamps are positioned out wide in the same black unit as the vertical air intakes.

The sides of the car appear to be relatively unadorned. The black finish on the front bumper continues around the fenders before wrapping over the wheel arches and running along the rocker panels. A charging port is placed behind the front wheels beneath the A-pillars. The door panels are almost completely smooth aside from a small character line at the very bottom and the handles, which strangely are not flush and are finished in black to match the rocker panels and wing mirrors. A clear but soft shoulder line cuts back from the headlights at the front and connects to the rear lamps without any interruption. The greenhouse is squished due to the low-running roofline, but light in the cabin will likely be ample due to the fact that there are no B- or C-pillars.

The design of the Prologue SUV was a collaborative effort between the team based in Honda’s Los Angeles studio and the team in Japan. They relied heavily on VR tools to refine ideas for the model while working during the Covid pandemic. With its streamlined shape and clean surface treatment, the design team was able to enhance the aerodynamic performance of the Prologue, helping to improve range while also reducing cabin noise.

Although Ikeda suggests that it is in keeping with current Honda vehicles, the Prologue clearly signals a level-up in design capability. Key elements, like the front visor and the compact greenhouse, are kept clean and simple, and could provide a little extra refinement for the company’s evolving portfolio. These are a far cry from the busy details of the new 2023 HR-V, for example, which features a host of chunky and circular elements that make the front end look like an angry Ford Puma.

Sketches of the interior are yet to be made public, but the Prologue will likely draw on the “simplicity and something” philosophy that Honda’s Jonathan Norman described in 2021. This puts human-centric design at the centre of the cabin, with aspects like ergonomics and comfort playing fundamental roles. The “something” refers to a differentiator, which may take the form of a single feature, making each Honda unique and personal.

Honda has lofty plans for its electrification strategy. The company hopes to introduce 30 new EVs and aims to sell 2 million units each year by 2030. It has also revealed a strategy to create a new vehicle architecture that will be co-developed by General Motors, with the aim of using it to create a new series of affordable EVs by 2027. In Europe, the ZR-V compact SUV is due to join the ranks in 2023, albeit with a hybrid powertrain.