General Motors will take the lead on producing new electric cars that will roll out bearing the Honda and Acura badges. These electrified EVs will be assembled starting in 2023 and reports said GM plans to manufacture within the United States and Mexico.
For the Acura EV, the plan is to use GM's existing facilities in Tennessee while the Honda EV will be put together at the automaker's car factory in Mexico. The manufacturing sites, which currently rolls off several GM car models, are expected to be retooled so they can handle EV production in large numbers.
Both GM and Honda have yet to officially comment on the matter, first reported by Automotive News, but the latter indicated in a brief statement that further details will be provided about the program later this year.
The collaboration, however, is unsurprising at all as CNET reported that an alliance between the U.S. and Japanese automakers was announced in September 2020. The latest development merely confirmed that the partnership is pushing ahead and the two firms are joining forces in their move for electrification.
In fact, GM and Honda have already started sharing technologies that likely will end up on the upcoming EV lines from both companies. The former, for instance, has licensed its OnStar vehicle safety and security system for use on Honda vehicles.
Honda, on the other hand, is an investment partner on GM's thrust to perfect its self-driving technology known as Cruise Automation. To be sure, all these will be jammed when the Honda and Acura EVs will have been completed, which is sometime between 2024 and 2025.
GM and Honda working together is certainly a boost in the electrification push as their expertise will lead to the production of better EVs. For the Japanese automaker, the decision to partner with GM is deemed to accelerate its sluggish EV efforts.
To date, Honda's EV presence is limited in Europe and GM entering the picture will allow for a more expansive deployment. It's clear that the Japan-based company wants to play a bigger role in the increasingly lucrative EV market in North America and tapping GM's expertise is a good start.
It is a wonder, however, why Honda has decided to lean on GM to achieve its electrification goals, according to Electrek. The Japanese firm is thought to have already made significant headways on its in-house EV program such as the development of top-notch electric powertrains.
While playing in tandem with GM will give Honda an immediate boost in the EV competition, the long-term effect could be that the automaker will be a laggard in terms of electrification technology, the report added.
