Honda is working up a dedicated electric-vehicle platform it says will underpin a range of future EVs, the first of which it promises will arrive in North America "before 2025."

Speaking to Automotive News at a corporate technology briefing in Japan, Honda powertrain boss Ayumu Matsuo said the new EV architecture will favour "smooth driving and highly efficient packaging."

In its most straightforward form, the platform will place the electric motor in the tail to power the rear wheels. But Honda says it will accept a variety of battery types and motors and allow for a front-mounted motor to offer AWD.

The as-yet-unannounced mainstream models that will use the new platform will follow the Honda E, a small EV hatchback that will soon be sold in small numbers in Europe and Japan.

While Honda's Matsuo-san offered no specifics about the vehicles that will use the company's new EV platform, he said he "believes it will meet the needs of customers who like our C- and D-segment models." That suggests Honda's focus is compact and mid-size vehicles, which correspond with those Euro-centric vehicle class designations.

Honda says that by 2030 it wants two-thirds of its global vehicle sales to be electrified models and 15 percent to be pure electrics. It is also aiming for 100 percent electrification in Europe by 2025.

Honda's current Canadian lineup includes three electrified models in the Accord Hybrid, Insight, and Clarity, the last being the brand's sole plug-in model. On the upscale Acura side, the NSX supercar is the hybrid flagship with 573 hp, while the MDX crossover offers a hybrid option.

All-new EV platform

7/17/2019 12:00:00 PM

7/17/2019 12:00:00 PM