Honda unveils three new electric cars in China

Ahead of the 2024 Beijing motor show, Honda has whipped the covers off three electric models developed in China.

All three, the Ye P7 and Ye S7 crossovers, as well as the Ye GT Concept, are all based on a “newly developed dedicated EV platform developed in China”.

This new platform isn’t the e:Architecture that’s set debut in North America later this decade. It’s unclear if cars based on this China-developed architecture will be exported to other markets, although we suspect Honda Europe will be keen to get their hands on some of these vehicles.

Details about the Ye P7 and Ye S7’s drivetrains haven’t been fully revealed, but Honda says cars on this platform will be available in both single motor rear-wheel drive, and dual motor all-wheel drive configurations.

According to Honda, the Ye P7, Ye S7 and Ye GT Concept have all been designed to the company’s “man maximum, machine minimum” ethos.

They are also the first production vehicles to feature the brand’s simplified, and quite retro, H-mark logo that’s reserved for electric cars. Like some earlier EVs from Honda, including the GM-based Prologue in the US, the Ye models eschew the H logo on the tailgate in favour of the company’s new word mark.

The Ye P7 and Ye S7 have different front and rear end styling, but the doors, interior, platform and overall body structure are shared.

The Ye S7 has Y-shaped headlights, full-width light bars at both ends, and vertical tail-lights. It will be built and sold by Dongfeng Honda joint venture.

Meanwhile Honda’s other Chinese joint venture with GAC will produce the Ye P7, which features crab claw-style head-and tai-lights.

Both the Ye P7 and Ye S7 will go on sale in China at the end of 2024.

As for the Ye GT Concept, the fastback-style sedan is said to preview a “second series” of EVs that will go on sale in China before the end of 2025.

For the curious, the Ye part of the name comes from the Chinese word 烨, which roughly translates to “blaze of fire” or “glorious”.

Today’s cars, as well as the HR-V-based e:NS1 and e:NP1 launched in 2022, are part of Honda’s plan to launch 10 EVs in China by 2027. The brand aims to have an electric only range in China by 2035.

In 2021 Honda pledged to sell only electric vehicles and hydrogen fuel cell cars across the world by 2040, and to go fully carbon neutral by 2050.