GM has made waves with the recent unveilings of EV products like the Equinox EV, Blazer EV, and even the ultra-luxurious Celestiq EV. However, Honda’s efforts have long remained in the shadows despite inking a recent partnership with GM to co-develop EV models. That’s now changed, with the Japanese auto giant releasing the first teaser of its upcoming Prologue EV SUV.
Prologue Shaping Up To Be Important SUV
Unlike some of Honda’s recent teaser efforts which had details about as sparse and wafer thin as a saltine cracker, this one is the equivalent of eating a hearty Fig Newton. The over 4 minute teaser video that Honda released takes us inside the company’s design studio in Torrance, California and gives us glimpses of the upcoming Prologue. The exterior styling is distinctly Honda, with the front fascia featuring a flat black grille panel and shapely headlights. We assume that they will come packed with LED elements and give the SUV a youthful look. Honda claims that the Prologue will have a look that will be “Neo-Rugged” with simplicity and clean lines being the dominant theme.
That said, as you make your way towards the rear of the SUV, you see what appears to be a glimmer of Mazda inspiration with the taillights reminding us of what we have seen on some of Mazda’s newer CUVs to a certain extent. We’ll have to wait until the SUV moves past the clay buck stage to get a better grip on the Prologue’s full identity, but Honda reps are confident in their new offering stating, “Designing the first volume Honda electric vehicle gave us more freedom than a vehicle with an internal combustion engine, and we can stretch our imagination, especially in styling the front-end,” said Sang-Hyuk Ahn, a four-year exterior designer at Honda. “We envisioned Prologue with a longer wheelbase, shorter overhang, and capable tires to create sporty proportions and a stronger stance.”
Virtual Reality Plays Role In Design
Along with its shared roots with GM, the Prologue will also be the first SUV to incorporate virtual reality technology in its design process. This allowed Honda’s U.S. and Japanese design teams to collaborate together while also putting digital mockups of the SUV in different real world environments.
“We were able to see Prologue in digital environments that truly resemble the real world,” said Marco Tan, VR and CG designer with Honda Design. “By simulating and evaluating colors, materials, and even lighting in a virtual 3D environment we were able to explore possibilities that took styling to a higher level.”
Honda will be releasing more details about the Prologue in the next few months but a rudimentary timeline at the very end of Honda’s release confirms that the next few years will be a key period for Honda with the Prologue beginning production in 2024. After that, the company will shift to starting production on Honda models that will be built on the company’s e-Architecture technology. Lastly, the GM partnership will rapidly expand in 2027 when the two companies will begin work on expanding the roster of EVs that will be underpinned by the Ultium platform.
Carl Malek has been an automotive journalist for over 10 years. First starting out as a freelance photographer before making the transition to writing during college, his work has appeared on numerous automotive forums as well as websites such as Autoshopper.com.
Carl is also a big fan of British vehicles with the bulk of his devotion going to the Morgan Motor Company as well as offerings from Lotus, MG, and Caterham. When he is not writing about automobiles, Carl enjoys spending time with his family and friends in the Metro Detroit area, as well as spending time with his adorable pets.