Honda unveils new EV brand in China to regain relevance
Honda has unveiled a new EV brand in China called Ye, its third 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 attempt to regain relevance in the world’s largest EV market.
The Japanese auto giant today unveiled the new EV brand in China called Ye (烨in Chinese), its third brand in the country to target the EV market after e:N and Lingxi.
The new Ye brand will target the needs of Chinese customers and will build cars based on the all-electric Architecture 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 at the end of this year.
The Ye P7 will be built by GAC Honda, a joint venture between Honda and GAC Group, while the Ye S7 will be built by Dongfeng Honda, a joint venture between it and Dongfeng Motor.
Japanese brands, including Honda, have fallen significantly behind in China’s fast-growing EV market, although they have not been without any efforts in the segment.
Honda unveiled its all-electric brand e:N in China back in October 2021, along with its new architecture e:N Architecture. The company 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 went on sale at the end of April 2022.
On September 21, 2023, Dongfeng Honda unveiled the new brand, called Lingxi, and unveiled a concept car, the Lingxi L.
The Lingxi brand’s 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.
Aimed primarily at younger consumers, 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, 1st model due in 2024
