GM to Build EV Crossovers for Honda, Acura

Jason R. Sakurai
by Jason R. Sakurai

Two Honda battery-electric crossovers will be built by General Motors in the next four years. A Honda will be built at a GM plant in Mexico, and an Acura alongside the Cadillac Lyriq in Tennessee.

In an Automotive News report, it was noted that in Ramos Arizpe, Mexico, where GM builds the Chevrolet Blazer and Equinox, the Honda crossover will start in 2023. GM was rumored to be retooling the plant for EV production by 2024, but this has not been confirmed.

2024 is when the Acura crossover production is scheduled for GM’s Spring Hill, Tennessee assembly plant, according to unnamed sources. Both crossovers are expected to be about the size of the Lyriq, which is planned to go on sale in early 2022.

GM’s Ultium batteries, which have a maximum range of 450 miles, will power the Honda and Acura vehicles. More than 5 million EVs will be Ultium-powered by 2040, more than 1 million of which are not GM products, Morgan Stanley estimates.

Honda wrapped up the year with a 4.2 percent gain in December for trucks, a record for electrified vehicles, and a double record for Passport. Led by 24,406 CR-V Hybrids, and 18,229 Accord Hybrid sales, Honda posted record sales of electrified vehicles for the third straight year, with 62,982 in total for 2020.

Neither GM nor American Honda would comment about their respective company’s product plans, signaling perhaps a decided shift in EV strategy, and ramped-up measures to bring them to fruition faster.

[Images: American Honda]

Jason R. Sakurai
Jason R. Sakurai

With a father who owned a dealership, I literally grew up in the business. After college, I worked for GM, Nissan and Mazda, writing articles for automotive enthusiast magazines as a side gig. I discovered you could make a living selling ad space at Four Wheeler magazine, before I moved on to selling TV for the National Hot Rod Association. After that, I started Roadhouse, a marketing, advertising and PR firm dedicated to the automotive, outdoor/apparel, and entertainment industries. Through the years, I continued writing, shooting, and editing. It keep things interesting.

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  • FreedMike FreedMike on Jan 07, 2021

    I'm sorry, but the old copy editor in me is compelled to point out that basic English usage on this site has really started to suffer. Case in point: "In an Automotive News report, it was noted that in Ramos Arizpe, Mexico, where GM builds the Chevrolet Blazer and Equinox, the Honda crossover will start in 2023." Take out the middle part of the sentence (which is about Ramos Arzipe and the other cars built there), and you get the following shortened sentence: "In an Automotive News report, the Honda crossover WILL START (emphasis mine) in 2023." I believe the writer was trying to say that production of the car will start in 2023, but the way the sentence is structured, he is literally saying that the car will start in 2023. Well, I certainly hope it starts; a car that won't start isn't going to sell well. I'm not trying to be grammar Nazi. But this is, in essence, a newspaper. The English in newspapers should be clear, concise and correct. Otherwise, the newspaper's credibility suffers. I'd suggest this writer needs to pay closer attention to his grammar, or have someone do some copy editing on his pieces.

    • See 1 previous
    • Steve Biro Steve Biro on Jan 07, 2021

      I'm an editor myself, Mike. Your comments are appropriate but don't expect anything to change. Without trying to slam the people at TTAC, the current environment means traditional editing is probably too expensive. In addition, I'm sure most pieces on this site are written by people with day jobs. Honest mistakes or oversights due to rushing things are always possible. It doesn't help that most people raised in the Age of the Internet haven't received thorough grammatical training. But I suspect it's mostly overlooked mistakes because writers are overworked or in a hurry. They'd probably agree with your remarks.

  • 28-Cars-Later 28-Cars-Later on Jan 07, 2021

    Feels like an April Fool's article.

    • NormSV650 NormSV650 on Jan 07, 2021

      We've been waited with baited breath for Thornmark to show...

  • Analoggrotto I am sick and tired of every little Hyundai Kia Genesis flaw being blown out of proportion. Why doesn't TTAC talk about the Tundra iForce Max problems, Toyota V35A engine problems or the Lexus 500H Hybrid problems? Here's why: education. Most of America is illiterate, as are the people who bash Hyundai Kia Genesis. Surveys conducted by credible sources have observed a high concentration of Hyundai Kia Genesis models at elite ivy league universities, you know those places where students earn degrees which earn more than $100K per year? Get with the program TTAC.
  • Analoggrotto NoooooooO!
  • Ted “the model is going to be almost 4 inches longer and 2 inches wider than its predecessor”Size matters. In this case there is 6” too much.
  • JMII Despite our past experience with Volvo my wife wants an EX30 badly. Small, upscale, minimalist EV hatch is basically her perfect vehicle.
  • Dukeisduke Is the Volvo EX30 even on sale yet? It was pulled from the NACTOY awards because they were having software problems with the vehicle.
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