General Motors and Honda have today announced an extension to their ongoing technical partnership to introduce “a series of affordable electric vehicles” in North America from 2027 onwards.
The new project is set to combine GM’s next generation Ultium battery technology with a brand-new global architecture in a streamlined process that combines both brands’ technology and design resources. Focus will at first be on a new compact crossover for North America “positioned at a price point lower than the upcoming Chevrolet Equinox EV” as the GM-Honda alliance looks to bring “millions” of the new EV series models to market.
Plans to install production space for up to two million EVs are also in place with construction set to begin towards the end of 2025, though no further details are provided as to the location.
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As well as accelerating the growth of both brands’ solid-state battery technology, the extended relationship is also seen as an opportunity to “discuss future EV battery technology collaboration opportunities.” The end game would be to reduce electrification production costs across the board as well as improve overall performance and sustainability.
“GM and Honda will share our best technology, design and manufacturing strategies to deliver affordable and desirable EVs on a global scale, including our key markets in North America, South America and China,” GM CEO Mary Barra explains. “This is a key step to deliver on our commitment to achieve carbon neutrality in our global products and operations by 2040 and eliminate tailpipe emissions from light duty vehicles in the US by 2035. By working together, we’ll put people all over the world into EVs faster than either company could achieve on its own.”
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“Honda is committed to reaching our goal of carbon neutrality on a global basis by 2050, which requires driving down the cost of electric vehicles to make EV ownership possible for the greatest number of customers,” Honda president and CEO Toshihiro Mibe continues. “Honda and GM will build on our successful technology collaboration to help achieve a dramatic expansion in the sales of electric vehicles.”
This new series of affordable EVs is the latest “win-win relationship” between the two multinational conglomerates that already stretches back nearly a decade. In 2013, the two brands began working on a new-generation fuel cell system capable of running on hydrogen before moving into battery module development in 2018. In 2020, GM and Honda announced they would co-develop two new EV, including the fully-electric Prologue SUV, due to be launched in 2024, while Honda has also played a significant technical role with Chevrolet’s fully-autonomous Cruze Origin project.
