The new brand, which will be significantly differentiated from Honda's e:NS brand, will be based on an all-new all-electric platform and target a younger demographic.
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Dongfeng Honda, a joint venture between Japanese auto giant Honda and China's Dongfeng Motor, is going to launch a new brand in China in an attempt to change its lagging position in the world's largest electric vehicle (EV) market.
The update to the Dongfeng Honda brand will be unveiled on September 21, when the company will also unveil a fresh new energy vehicle (NEV) brand, it announced today.
The upcoming NEV brand models will be produced on a new all-electric platform and will be significantly differentiated from the e:NS brand in terms of product positioning, target audience and market pricing, Dongfeng Honda said.
The brand's first concept car will make its global debut on September 21, it said.
The new brand will target young consumers and the development of the first model will be led by a young R&D team, Dongfeng Honda said.
The brand, based on incorporating young people's ideas, will utilize Dongfeng Honda's existing strengths, including technology, quality control and channels, to create NEV products with more personality for young people, it said.
The new sub-brand is the first time for a mainstream joint venture in China to launch an independent NEV brand, demonstrating Dongfeng Honda's strong commitment to the electrification transition, it said.
Dongfeng Honda did not disclose more information about the new brand, which will be launched in an event on September 21 starting at 7:30 pm Beijing time.
Honda hosted a launch event for the company's electrification efforts in China on October 13, 2021, officially unveiling its all-electric brand e:N, where "e" stands for Energize and Electric, and "N" for New and Next.
Two production models under the brand, Dongfeng Honda's e:NS1 and GAC Honda's e:NP1, made their debut at the time.
On April 26, 2022, Dongfeng Honda's e:NS1 officially went on sale in China as Honda's first all-electric vehicle model in the country.
The model was offered in four versions at launch, with prices ranging from RMB 175,000 ($24,000) to 218,000 yuan. Dongfeng Honda's website shows that the e:NS1 is currently priced the same as it was at launch.
However, sales of the model in China have been sluggish, with monthly sales of less than 200 units in April-June and 611 units in August, according to data from the China Passenger Car Association (CPCA) shared by local automotive media outlet Yiche.
($1 = RMB 7.2966)
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