Honda's plans to target Tesla with a range of sporty, rear-drive electric vehicles appears to be taking shape, with company executives confirming a dedicated EV platform will underpin a range of vehicles due to begin arriving in 2025.
That's the word from Honda's power unit development boss, Ayumu Matsuo, who has told media the new BEV platform will be modular, rear-powered, and will underpin C and D-segment cars.
"This new architecture is designed to achieve smooth driving and highly efficient packaging," Matsuo told US outlet Automotive News. "We believe it will meet the needs of customers who like our C-segment and D-segment models."
The news came as part of a future-facing briefing from the company, with Honda confirming the platform would be used for sedans and SUVs, and would feature rear-mounted motors. And thanks to the brand's push for better driving dynamics, a 50:50 weight distribution will also be a staple of its new EVs, as will a 'skateboard' style battery and motor layout.
Today's news follows patents recently filed by Honda that appeared to be a dealership-ready version of the brand's Sports EV prototype, first shown at the Tokyo motor show in 2017.
Those patents shows a sport-focused coupe design; a vehicle that looked a little like a shrunken version of the Honda NSX supercar.
Can Honda tackle Tesla? Tell us in the comments below.
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Andrew Chesterton
Contributing Journalist
Andrew Chesterton should probably hate cars. From his hail-damaged Camira that looked like it had spent a hard life parked at the end of Tiger Woods' personal driving range, to the Nissan Pulsar Reebok that shook like it was possessed by a particularly mean-spirited demon every time he dared push past 40km/h, his personal car history isn't exactly littered with gold.
But that seemingly endless procession of rust-savaged hate machines taught him something even more important; that cars are more than a collection of nuts, bolts and petrol. They're your ticket to freedom, a way to unlock incredible experiences, rolling invitations to incredible adventures. They have soul.
And so, somehow, the car bug still bit. And it bit hard.
When "Chesto" started his journalism career with News Ltd's Sunday and Daily Telegraph newspapers, he covered just about everything, from business to real estate, courts to crime, before settling into state political reporting at NSW Parliament House.
But the automotive world's siren song soon sounded again, and he begged anyone who would listen for the opportunity to write about cars. Eventually they listened, and his career since has seen him filing car news, reviews and features for TopGear, Wheels, Motor and, of course, CarsGuide, as well as many, many others.
More than a decade later, and the car bug is yet to relinquish its toothy grip. And if you ask Chesto, he thinks it never will.
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