Once again, Honda strives to prove the world wrong by stating it’s investing deeply in EVs and understands the market more than it has in the past. For this year’s Beijing Auto Show (Auto China 2024), it has unveiled a series of new models that form an all-EV sub-brand. When translated, this new model line is called the “Ye Series,” and features an all-new rectangle-less Honda logo denoting the brand's fully-electric nature.
According to Honda’s press release, this model line name has meaning:
“The new series was named with the Chinese letter “烨” which means “shine brilliantly,” representing Honda’s desire to enable everyone who drives Ye Series models to unleash their innermost passions through the joy of driving, and let their individuality shine brilliantly.”
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Honda refocuses in China
Honda's plans for China are fully electric. It wants 100% of all of its cars sold in China to be electric by 2035. It plans to introduce 10 new EV models in China by 2027. Six of them will be under this Ye sub-brand.
Marketing jibber-jabber aside, it looks like Honda’s pulled out all of the stops to make these cars competitive in the market. There’s no subcompact crossover with batteries jammed underneath like the Honda E:NY1, or a restyled version of someone else’s product like the GM-Ultium-based Honda Prologue. These cars use an all-new platform developed in China called Architecture W. Honda has been quiet about the platform’s full specifications, but we do know that it will have a 3-in-1 drive motor at the rear (or front, optionally), and feature a high-density battery. In true old-school Honda fashion, the platform has double wishbone suspension in the front and a multi-link independent rear setup in the rear.
Three vehicles accompany the unveiling of the Ye Brand: the production S7, P7, and the Ye GT Concept.
The S7 and P7 are roughly the same vehicle; a five-passenger, five-door crossover EV aimed directly at cars like the Model Y. It will be available in either RWD (single motor) or AWD (dual-motor) forms, both of which are aimed to be more engaging to drive vehicles in the segment. Honda says the grey-colored P7 expresses “a seamless, sophisticated and smart sense of the future,” whereas the funky-styled S7 “expresses a more emotional sense of the future that stimulates people who see the vehicle.” Not sure what either of those statements is supposed to mean, but the P7 and S7 are solidly pleasant-looking EVs.
Still named a concept, the Honda Ye GT is chasing after the ever-growing and popular segment of sporty, high-trimmed EV four-door coupes in China. Low, long, and wide, this car looks like it's ready to do battle with cars like the Xiaomi SU7.
Of course, Honda’s China aspirations and EV plans don’t always overlap with what it has planned for the rest of the world. From what we can see, these cars look like just what Honda needs to put on track in China and put up a fight in a highly competitive Chinese car market where Honda’s ICE vehicles have continued to lose popularity. But, for us outside of China, these models look perfect for an EV market starved of choice. In an ideal world, the Ye P7, S7 and GT Concept be eventually manufactured in Ohio and go on sale as soon as possible.
The Ye P7 and S7 will go on sale in China before the end of 2024. A production Ye GT Concept is expected to enter the Chinese market in 2025.
Contact the author: kevin.williams@insideevs.com
