Honda announces new Chinese BEV plant

HONDA has announced that it will build a new vehicle production plant in Wuhan, China, with Chinese subsidiary Dongfeng Honda. 

The battery electric vehicle (BEV) manufacturing facility in central Hubei province is slated to manufacturer its first vehicle by as early as 2024 and aims to produce 120,000 vehicles annually with the assistance of Chinese battery maker CATL.

CATL (Contemporary Amperex Technology Company Limited) is contracted to supply 56GWh of batteries to supply Honda battery electric and plug-in electric hybrid vehicles until 2027. 

Dongfeng Honda’s new 630,000 square metre plant will likely become the primary production facility for domestic market Honda battery electric vehicles, eventually boosting Honda’s global electric vehicle production capacity by more than 15 per cent.

Honda announced previously that it plans to sell only battery electric and hydrogen fuel cell vehicles in selected major markets globally by 2040. 

It is understood the new Wuhan facility may be among the first to produce Honda’s upcoming fully-electric HR-V, the small SUV unveiled as the e:NP1 (pictured) for the Chinese domestic market late last year. 

“China is at the forefront of technological innovation, so we will seek to rapidly respond by introducing leading edge technologies and products for our Chinese customers,” Honda CEO Toshihiro Mibe said upon announcing the e:NP1 last year.

“The ratio of EVs and FCVs within our overall sales in all major markets, including China, will be increased to 40 per cent by 2030, to 80 per cent by 2035, and then to 100 per cent globally by 2040,” he added.

Offering up to 500km of driving range, the Honda e:NP1 features the latest in-car technology from the Japanese brand, including Honda Sensing 360 driver assistance and safety technologies, a 10.25-inch liquid crystal digital instrument cluster, and all-new Connect 3.0 infotainment system which is now accessed via a 15.2-inch portrait-style touchscreen. All are available with over-the-air update capabilities.

It’s understood the city-sized SUV may offer up to 150kW of power to the front wheels and offer a top speed of 150km/h. The battery pack is reported to provide 68.8kWh.

The e:NP1 is one of 10 new battery-electric vehicle Honda plans to introduce to the Chinese market over the next five years. Other e:N Series models include a two-door coupe, a four-door GT car, and another small SUV dubbed e:NS1.