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- First full-electric Honda SUV designed at the Honda Design Studio in Los Angeles launching in 2024
- Prologue will complement Honda’s light truck lineup, positioned above CR-V and alongside Passport, offering generous passenger and cargo space
- All-new CR-V hybrid launching this October will be gateway vehicle to Prologue, with shorter term lease plans in ZEV states to transition hybrid customers to EVs
Honda today offered the first look at the exterior and interior styling of the all-new Honda Prologue battery-electric SUV that will come to market in North America in 2024. The Prologue design features clean and simple “Neo-Rugged” exterior and interior styling and ample interior space that’s ready for adventure inside and outside the city limits.
Modern design with neo-rugged aesthetics
The Honda design team based in Los Angeles is responsible for leading the exterior and interior styling of the all-new Prologue. A young team of designers set out to create a modern and fresh SUV, with clean and simple surfacing. Neo-rugged was coined as the design direction, bringing the harmony of nature’s elements to the exterior and interior of Prologue. This design direction is reflected in details like the panoramic roof and large 21-inch wheels, which give the model a capable and planted exterior. The front fascia is influenced by the distinctive exterior of the ground-breaking Honda e EV model.
The Prologue will be available in an exclusive North Shore Pearl exterior color which was inspired from the natural beauty and colors near Lake Tahoe in California. Moreover, the visual of fresh fallen snow on the mountains was used to inspire the exclusive charcoal and light gray interior color.
“Our goal was to create a clean harmony based on a rugged SUV image by coordinating the colors and materials to express neo-rugged design styling that’s familiar to our customers and uniquely Honda,” said Masaki Sumimoto, design lead for the Color, Materials and Finish.
To further build the Honda EV brand identity, the “H-mark” badge on the rear of the vehicle is replaced with the full Honda brand name in a stylized typeface that captures the modern and clean design of the Prologue. In addition, to align with Honda’s global EV models, Prologue will adopt the brand’s e: series name badging.
Prologue Well-positioned in Honda Light Truck Lineup
Prologue was conceived as a modern and fresh design that will feel at home in the showroom with existing Honda SUVs. Prologue’s generous dimensions and roomy interior position the SUV alongside the Passport in Honda’s light truck lineup. Prologue will have a wheelbase of 121.8-inches, and is about 8-inches longer and 5-inches wider than the all-new 2023 Honda CR-V.
The Prologue will have a generous interior, which will provide ample space for passengers and cargo. Showcasing a tech-rich cabin, the Prologue will have a standard fully digital 11-inch driver display panel and an 11.3-inch audio/connectivity display.
Electrifying the Future Buyer
This “Year of the Honda SUV” includes HR-V, CR-V, and Pilot, models that play key roles in preparing for volume Honda EV sales that will begin with Prologue in 2024. Prologue, which will be available with all-wheel drive, will target active customers who want the versatility of an SUV with the zero emissions benefit of a BEV.
“We are not going to wait until 2024 to attract EV buyers, because we see a natural progression for a CR-V customer to Prologue with its slightly larger size, larger interior and capable handling,” said Gary Robinson, vice president, automobile planning and strategy at American Honda. “We will support that transition now by putting smart strategies in place with the CR-V hybrid, that will enable our customers to transition to an EV.”
Honda’s research shows that hybrid-electric customers are among the first to move into full-electric products. Honda plans to increase the model mix of the 2023 CR-V to 50% hybrid sales and will offer customers of the CR-V hybrid a shorter term, two-year lease in ZEV states when that model comes to market in fall 2022. This will enable a customer in targeted markets to easily transition into a Prologue when the new EV launches in 2024. In this way, the company’s increasing hybrid sales volume will help grow a future EV customer base.