Honda and General Motors (GM) have just announced a major partnership to produce ” million » electric vehicles (EV) at affordable prices. The two manufacturers thus hope to take advantage of the growing success encountered by Tesla.
Partnering to produce affordable electric vehicles
The firms plan to develop a series of affordable electric vehicles based on a new global architecture using next-generation Ultium battery technology “, they explain in a statement. Unlike the cylindrical cells used in Tesla’s batteries, Ultium technology relies on pocket and prismatic type cells. The stated objective is clear: General Motors and Honda want to start mass production of millions of electric vehicles by 2027.
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They intend to take advantage of their respective strategies in terms of technology, design and supply, but also standardize equipment and processes to achieve world-class quality, higher throughput, and more affordability “. The companies further explain that future vehicles will be priced lower than the Chevy Equinox EV, which will launch in 2024, and which GM says will start at $30,000.
“ GM and Honda will share their best technology, design and manufacturing strategies to deliver affordable and desirable EVs globally, including in our key markets of North America, South America and China. This is a key step in delivering on our commitment to achieve carbon neutrality in our global products and operations by 2040 and to eliminate tailpipe emissions from light-duty vehicles in the United States by 2035. working together, we’ll get people around the world behind the wheel of electric vehicles faster than either company could on its own said Mary Barra, president and CEO of General Motors.
The historic manufacturers want to surpass Tesla in the field of electric vehicles. Photography: Dmitry Novikov
General Motors and Honda have been collaborating for two years already
This partnership will enable the two manufacturers to rely on their solid manufacturing capabilities. Moreover, this is not the first time that they have collaborated since Honda has a stake in the Cruise company, which specializes in autonomous driving and is now majority-owned by General Motors. They are thus partners in the development of the Cruise Origin, a fully autonomous and electric vehicle.
Separately, GM and Honda are also working together on two electric vehicles based on GM’s Ultium technology, the Honda Prologue and a new electric SUV from Acura, Honda’s premium brand. ” The progress we’ve made with GM since announcing the EV battery development collaboration in 2018, followed by the co-development of electric vehicles, including the Honda Prologue, has demonstrated the win-win relationship that can create new value. for our customers. This new series of affordable EVs will build on that relationship by leveraging our strength in the development and production of high quality compact class vehicles. “Said Shinji Aoyama, senior general manager of Honda.
The advent of electric
The switch to electric is inevitable and marks one of the greatest upheavals that the automotive industry has seen. While some historic manufacturers are struggling to follow the trend, especially in the face of newcomers like Tesla, which had a thunderous 2021, others are deciding to join forces. In addition to GM and Honda, Ford and Volkswagen also announced a partnership to produce electric vehicles.
The strategy of GM and Honda seems interesting since it aims in particular to lower the prices of EVs; indeed, the price of electric vehicles remains much higher than that of their gasoline equivalents, while the automotive sector is affected by several problems in the supply chains, in particular by the shortage of electronic components.
This announcement is part of General Motors’ strategy and its desire for renewal. Last January, the American manufacturer announced a massive investment of $7 billion to boost its production of electric vehicles.