2024 Honda Prologue: Next-Gen Redesign & Release Date – Honda released new details about the upcoming Prologue electric SUV, including sizing (bigger than a CR-V) and styling (neo-rugged?), as the automaker inches closer to the full reveal.
The 2024 Prologue will slot in between the compact CR-V and the midsize Passport SUV. It will be about eight inches longer and about five inches wider than the current CR-V. That means more cabin space and cargo room, which will be crucial if Honda is to win the increasingly competitive electric midsize SUV segment.
Perched on 21-inch wheels, the Prologue will have a riding height closer to the Passport. The exact dimensions are as follows: 121.8-inch wheelbase; 192-inch length; 78.3 inches wide; and 64.7 inches tall.
Inside, the infotainment stack will be anchored in an 11.3-inch center touchscreen, alongside an 11-inch instrument cluster. Top trims will feature leather seats and a large panoramic moonroof. Outside, the front end was designed to pay homage to the Honda e, the automaker’s cute, boxy city car that’s only available in Europe and Asia. And the rear features a new spin on the Honda logo.
Interior
If you’re interested in the new Chevy Blazer EV but aren’t a fan of the styling, Honda will offer an alternative in the form of the 2024 Prologue.
The two mid-size EV SUVs share underpinnings, powertrains, and battery packs but will feature different designs inside and out, with the Honda presenting a cleaner look compared with the Blazer as evidenced by these new photos of the electric crossover’s exterior and interior.
Finished in a new color called North Shore Pearl, the Prologue looks clean and modern and should fit in well with the rest of Honda’s SUV lineup.
It’s larger than the compact CR-V and similar in size to the mid-size, two-row Passport. Its relationship to the Blazer are only obvious in terms of the proportions, as the Honda appears to have the same short rear overhang, long wheelbase, and a similar window line as the Chevy.
Inside, the Prologue will feature two large screens: an 11.0-inch digital gauge cluster and an 11.3-inch central infotainment touchscreen. We’re pleased to see what appear to be physical HVAC buttons and knobs below the screen rather than touch-sensitive controls.
Eagle-eyed readers familiar with the GM lineup may recognize certain components pulled from the corporate parts bin, including the start button and door handles, but that’s no surprise given the collaboration between the two automakers.
Honda Prologue Overview
As the first electric vehicle that Honda will produce, the Prologue’s name signifies the beginning of Honda’s automotive manufacturing era and promises to be the first of many battery-powered vehicles to come.
Honda hasn’t said much about the upcoming Prologue beyond confirming that it’s an all-electric SUV developed in partnership with General Motors that will be highly competitive, versatile and have a driving range on par with its line of rugged SUVs. It’s likely that this EV will be a compact crossover similar in size to the upcoming Chevrolet Equinox EV, and will use GM’s Ultium EV platform and battery technology.
Ultium is a modular electric vehicle platform capable of 19 different drive unit and battery configurations, and is used on several of GM’s new EV SUVs and trucks, such as the GMC Hummer EV and Chevrolet Silverado EV. The architecture supports energy options ranging from 50 to 200 kWh, which should enable the vehicle to travel up to 400 miles on a single charge.
Although the Prologue will use the shared Ultium platform under the hood, its exterior and interior will be designed by Honda and may be based on the e: concept SUV unveiled at the Beijing Auto Show in 2020.
The concept demonstrated the design direction the company is headed and was indicative of the type of compact EV the brand planned to introduce in China. The production model will be equipped with Honda’s next generation SENSING 360 technology, which it describes as an omnidirectional advanced driver assistance system.
However, the Prologue will integrate GM’s OnStar safety and security services with the current HondaLink telematics and should offer Super Cruise. The domestic brand’s limited hands-free advanced driver-assist technology should be available on the upcoming Chevrolet Equinox EV.
Aside from a more luxurious yet-to-be-named model for its premium Acura brand, the Prologue may be Honda’s only jointly-developed battery-powered vehicle with GM—at least for the near future. The company says its planning to produce a lineup of electrified vehicles for the U.S. using its e:Architecture that it developed in-house in the second half of the decade.
No additional details about the planned launches have been released, but the company says it’s aiming for 500,000 all-electric sales by 2030 and 100% of its North American auto sales will be electric by 2040.
Honda hasn’t disclosed at which plant it will build the Prologue, but it has been rumored to GM’s facilities in Ramos Arizpe, Mexico.
2024 Honda Prologue Interior
When Will the Honda Prologue EV Be Available?
Honda has said the battery-powered crossover it’s developing with GM will go on sale in early 2024. The company has told its franchise dealers that the initial rollout will be regional and target California, Texas and Florida and other states that adhere to California’s more stringent emissions standards.
Under The Skin
The crossover is underpinned by General Motor’s scalable Ultium battery-electric architecture as part of a strategic alliance between the two automakers. Different versions of the platform already serve duty under the Chevrolet Silverado EV, GMC Hummer EV and Cadillac’s Lyriq.
While Honda has not gone into details, the Prologue is believed to be a mid-sized crossover similar to the 2023 Cadillac Lyriq with which it may share its BEV3 platform, though this has not been specifically confirmed.
Using the Lyriq as an example, we could expect the Prologue to feature a lithium-ion cell 100-kWh battery with a driving range of well over 300 miles (483 Km).
Traction should potentially come in two flavors, a base single motor rear-wheel-drive model and a more powerful dual-motor setup for the all-wheel drive version, but won’t share the same levels of performance with the higher-end Lyriq that’s available in 340 hp and over 490 hp variants.
DC fast-charging up to a rate of 190 kW would enable drivers to roughly add 76 miles of range for every 10 minutes of charging time.
Rivals & Reveal
The Prologue will compete directly or indirectly (mainly depending on price and size) against a growing number of electric SUVs, from future mid-size offerings such as the Hyundai Ioniq 7 and Kia EV9 to the current crop of crossovers like the Nissan Ariya, Hyundai Ioniq 5, Kia EV6, Ford Mustang Mach-E and Genesis GV60.
It’s very likely that we’ll see a concept model, or what Honda likes to call a prototype, within the next year, with the final production model to follow shortly after with sales kicking off in early 2024.
Honda expects to sell around 60,000 units the first year and increase that number to at least 70,000 in 2025. The Prologue will be built at one of GM’s plants in Michigan and will spawn a more luxurious Acura version possibly named ADX later on.
