Honda unveils new EV brand in China to regain relevance….
Honda has unveiled a new EV brand in China called Ye, the third brand in the country to target the EV market after e:N and Lingxi.
(Image credit: Honda)
Honda has unveiled a new electric vehicle (EV) brand in China in an effort to gain relevance in the world’s largest EV market.
The Japanese auto giant today unveiled a new EV brand called Ye (烨 in Chinese) in China, the third brand in the country to target the EV market after E:N and Lingxi.
The new Ye brand will take into account the needs of Chinese customers and build cars based on the all-electric W architecture, Honda said at a launch event today.
Honda plans to launch six models under this new brand in China by 2027, with a 100 percent electrification transition in the country by 2035.
The automaker unveiled three new models, the Ye GT, which will be mass-produced in 2025, the Ye P7 and the Ye S7, which will go on sale later this year.
The P7 will be manufactured by GAC Honda, a joint venture between Honda and GAC Group, while the S7 will be manufactured by Dongfeng Honda, a joint venture between it and Dongfeng Motor.
Japanese brands including Honda have been left far behind in China’s booming EV market, even though they have been making no effort in this area.
Honda unveiled its all-electric brand e:N in China in October 2021 with its new architecture e:N architecture. The company had said at the time that it planned to launch a total of 10 all-electric models in the country over the next five years.
Its first EV in China is Dongfeng Honda’s e:NS1, which goes on sale in late April 2022.
On September 21, 2023, Dongfeng Honda unveiled a new brand called Lingxi and unveiled a concept car, the Lingxi L.
Lingxi brand models will be based on a new all-electric platform, and the production version of the Lingxi L – a sedan model – will go on sale in 2024, Dongfeng Honda said at the time.
Targeted primarily at younger consumers, the Lingxi will be targeted and priced separately from Honda’s all-electric e:NS lineup, according to the company.
Dongfeng Honda unveils NEV brand Lingxi, first model to arrive in 2024.