Honda has joined a growing number of major car makers changing direction away from battery electric vehicle development in response to slowing BEV sales. At a recent briefing in Tokyo Honda’s President Toshihiro Mibe confirmed the company was re-evaluating its BEV development plan up to 2030 by trimming 3 trillion yen from its previously allocated EV budget of 10 trillion yen. It cited falling BEV sales behind the move “necessitating a re-alignment of its automotive strategy that places more emphasis on new generation, lower cost and more efficient hybrid technology along with a greater focus on the North American, Japanese and Chinese markets.” Honda targeting greater battery efficiency as well as a 50 per cent reduction in manufacturing costs, suggesting the company’s new e-HEV systems will be lighter with more parts commonality amongst models. Its target 2.2 million sales by 2030.

IMAGE CREDIT / HONDA AUSTRALIA

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