2024 Honda Prologue Blazes Out As The Brand’s First Electric SUV In America

This is our first look at the 2024 Honda Prologue, a new electric SUV that aims to kick-start the company’s EV future — with a little help, courtesy of General Motors that provided the bones which appear to be shared with the new Chevrolet Blazer EV.

Having experimented with hybrids and hydrogen and even a short-lived battery electric car, the 1997-1999 EV Plus of which only around 300 were offered exclusively through leasing, the Prologue is the first widely-available, dedicated battery-electric Honda to be offered in North America. It will be joined by at least 30 new EVs globally before the end of the decade, with 2040 set as the company’s cut-off for sales of combustion vehicles.

The SUV Assault Starts Here

The Prologue is a key part of the company’s “Year of The Honda SUV,” having already yanked the wraps off the 2023 CR-V, 2023 HR-V, and with the unveiling of the 2023 Pilot not far off.

Honda’s new entry will slot alongside the Passport in the lineup as a mid-size SUV, but the brand actually hopes customers begin to switch from the CR-V Hybrid in 2024. In an effort to make this happen, the Japanese automaker will offer the new CR-V with shorter-term lease plans in ZEV states, allowing consumers to transition to the Prologue without much hassle.

Read: 2024 Chevrolet Blazer EV Offers FWD, RWD, And AWD As Well As A Blazingly Fast 557 HP SS

“We are not going to wait until 2024 to attract EV buyers, because we see a natural progression for a CR-V customer to Prologue with its slightly larger size, larger interior and capable handling,” said Gary Robinson, vice president, automobile planning and strategy at American Honda.

The Prologue EV measures 192 inches (4,877 mm) long and 78.3 inches (1,989 mm) wide, with a height of 64.7 inches (1,643 mm). That makes the electric SUV around 8-inches (203 mm) longer and 5-inches (127 mm) wider than the 2023 Honda CR-V, while the wheelbase, at 121.8-inches (3094 mm), is almost the same as the full-size BMW X7 SUV. Obviously, it’s not coincidental that the Chevrolet Blazer EV has the same exact wheelbase length.

Honda’s Blazer EV? 

The Prologue was co-developed with GM, and is based on the latter’s flexible BEV3 platform architecture using the Ultium drive and battery management system. The first impressions indicate that the Honda likely ride on the same bones as the Chevrolet Blazer EV. The long wheelbase is the same length as that of the Blazer EV, which is a strong indication that there will be more similarities between the two.

While technical details have not yet been revealed, we can see what Honda has done to differentiate the Prologue from any possible GM cousin. The front has a chiseled, if slightly anonymous, appearance, with Honda’s family light array present. The beltline and lower side profile are restrained in a way that is typically Honda, although the roof appears to slope towards the rear bringing to mind the Blazer EV. There’s a charge port on the driver’s side front fender, while the lower-most segments feature plastic cladding.

Moving to the back, the spoiler, slim rear window, and omission of the traditional “H” logo in favor of “Honda” text come together to mimic the Range Rover Evoque. The Honda lettering has been stylized in a way to capture “the modern and clean design of the Prologue,” says Honda, while the car will also adopt the e: series badging.

Other takeaways from this first look include the exclusive North Shore Pearl shade, which was inspired by Lake Tahoe in California. Also on display are 21-inch wheels which come as standard.

Inside, the driver is treated to a deeply dished steering wheel in front of a tablet-style 11-inch driver display panel. On the center console, we find a raised but similar-sized 11.3-inch screen for the infotainment. The Prologue’s controls are visually similar to what’s found in the CR-V and Civic, although traditional vents are found in place of the unbroken grille that those two sport for the HVAC vents.

Technical Details And Availability

As yet, details surrounding the battery and motor options for the Prologue have not been revealed. What we do know is that Honda’s upcoming electric SUV will have the option of all-wheel drive. Whether rear and front-wheel drive variants will also appear (as with the Blazer EV) remains to be seen.

The Prologue will go on sale in 2024, while pricing and specific details will be revealed closer to that date.

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