- Honda CEO doesn’t believe consumers can be encouraged to switch to electric vehicles
- Honda to spend $700 million to retool factory and $3.5 billion to build battery plant for mass production of electric vehicles
- CEO believes the future is electric, but it will take time
Electric and hybrid cars are undergoing a dramatic change.
Talk to Drive At the 2024 Monterey Car Week, American Honda President and CEO Kazuhiro Takizawa talked about electric vehicles, ecosystems, and consumers.
Takizawa said, “You can’t forcing customers to change their minds, really, and to some extent [you can incentivize] But we can’t force people to live in the Midwest without charging stations.”
The problem, Takizawa believes, is that consumers will not only make change from ICE to electric cars quicklyeven with incentives. According to the CEO, this will be a gradual change.
At the Acura event reveal one Performance EV Concept This is a preview of one of the luxury automaker’s first EVs based on the company’s in-house Honda 0 platform. The production version will roll off the assembly line at the company’s Marysville Auto Plant in Ohio in 2025.
Honda is currently undertaking a $700 million restructuring effort at three of its plants, along with a $3.5 billion battery plant, all for mass production of electric vehicles in the United States. The moves could position the company for Honda will surpass everyone except Tesla in electric vehicle manufacturing in the United States.
Takizawa’s comments were made a few days ago. Ford has changed its electrification strategy., killed its three-row EVand double hybrid yields.
Lucid CEO Peter Rawlinson noted at Monterey Car Week 2024 that the weakening of the electric vehicle market is a “temporary incident”, and that “retreating into hybrids is a dead end.” Both Rawlinson and Lucid’s president of design and branding, Derek Jenkins, commented that consumers have more electric vehicle options than ever before, but that the options are still not compelling enough.
Battery-powered electric vehicles are the best way to achieve carbon neutrality, Takizawa said. But today’s ecosystem lacks charging capabilities. He noted that social change and issues take time.
Honda’s current EV, the Prologue, is a redesigned Chevrolet Blazer EV based on GM’s Ultium platform, Green Car Reports noted in February when it unveiled the crossover SUV. achieve something greater as an effort that is considered “normal.” Not a specialized effort like the Toyota bZ4x, the Prologue is aimed at Accord, CR-V, and Passport drivers curious about electric vehicles.
