Honda Motor Co. plans to roll out the first two electrified models – an electric vehicle and a plug-in hybrid — under the Honda brand in China later this year.
The EV will be unveiled at the Beijing auto show in April. The other electrified vehicle will be the plug-in hybrid variant of the CR-V crossover, Honda Motor Co.’s China office said on its website.
The Japanese carmaker didn’t disclose additional details about the two electrified vehicles.
Honda’s joint ventures with Dongfeng Motor Group and GAC Motor Co. each launched sales last year of a battery-powered crossover under respective proprietary brands in China.
In 2020, Honda also plans to introduce a seventh hybrid product — the hybrid version of the Crider sedan. It sells six hybrids in China – variants of the Accord and Inspire sedans, the CR-V and Breeze crossovers, and the Odyssey and Elysion multi-purpose vehicles.
Earlier this month, Toyota Motor Co. said it would launch China sales of its first three EVs this year: battery-powered versions of the Toyota C-HR crossover and Toyota IZOA sedan, and the Lexus UX 300e crossover.
Another major Japanese automaker, Nissan Motor Co., hasn’t announced plans to expand its local product lineup of electrified vehicles.
In China, the Japanese company currently only markets one electrified product, the battery-powered Sylphy sedan, under the Nissan brand. Its joint venture with Dongfeng also sells a sedan and a crossover under the Venucia marque. Neither of the two brands has plug-ins in their product mixes.