- Honda published new images of their upcoming electric Prologue crossover Thursday.
- The “Neo-Rugged” exterior design iterates on existing Honda models (including the Honda e), but adds in some of its own unique elements.
- This Prologue SUV has been co-developed with General Motors, while more new EVs on the Honda:eArchitecture will go on sale by 2026, according to the company’s current plan.
- No powertrain information is available yet, but Honda did publish dimensions to compare against the 2023 CR-V crossover.
We’re looking at a new milestone for Honda’s first electric SUV in the U.S. market: the 2024 Prologue. The automaker shared a few more details Thursday morning, including photos showing the car’s styling. We also now know its physical dimensions, which place it slightly above the brand’s compact CR-V crossover in terms of length and width.
Here’s what we know about the 2024 Honda Prologue so far.
Unlike the Honda CR-V, though, this battery electric model rides on a far longer, 121.8-inch wheelbase. At 192 inches long and 78.3 inches wide, it’s about 8 inches longer and 5 inches wider than the recently redesigned CR-V.
Honda’s LA-based design team created the Prologue’s look, which the automaker refers to as its “Neo-Rugged” design language. “Our goal was to create a clean harmony based on a rugged SUV image by coordinating the colors and materials to express neo-rugged design styling that’s familiar to our customers and uniquely Honda,” said design lead for colors, material and finish Masaki Sumimoto.
That design ethos plays out in the front end styling, which offers the same vertical grille design and headlight aesthetic as the brand’s redesigned SUVs, from the HR-V up to the new Passport and Pilot. Honda says the small “e” electric car also influenced the front fascia. Around the back, the automaker ditched the “H-mark” badge in place of new scripting that spells out the brand name across the tailgate. While the car may look smaller due to its 64.7-inch height (1.8 inches shorter than an AWD CR-V), it still packs 21-inch wheels.
The 2024 Honda Prologue’s North Shore Pearl exterior and charcoal/light gray interior came from the colors around Lake Tahoe, California. The automaker says this color combination will be exclusive to the Prologue, but did not yet elaborate on what other combinations may be available.
Comparing the Prologue the CR-V
Here’s how the dimensions look side-by-side:
| Measurement (inches) | 2023 Honda CR-V | 2024 Honda Prologue |
|---|---|---|
| Wheelbase | 106.3 | 121.8 (+15.5 inches) |
| Length | 184.8 | 192.0 (+7.2 inches) |
| Width | 73.5 | 78.3 (+4.8 inches) |
| Height | 66.5 (AWD) | 64.7 (-1.8 inches) |
Looking inside reveals familiar cues — not just from Honda, either.
The exterior design may look fairly unique to Honda, but that is not the case with its interior. That steering wheel, those stalks and that start button look familiar…where have we seen those before?
This is where the company’s co-development with GM is clear, since you’ll see fair bit of the Prologue’s switchgear in the new Chevrolet Equinox EV, as shown below:
Overall, the 2024 Honda Prologue brings a more basic (or rugged, if you like) interior layout than the heavily stylized Chevy. That said, the tie-up would inevitably create similarities between Honda’s next-gen EV and GM’s EVs, and so it turns out. In the Honda’s case, you get an 11-inch digital instrument cluster, as well as an 11.3-inch infotainment display. While these early photos just offer a glimpse, we can see that the Prologue Elite offers heated and ventilated seats up front, while the rest of the center-mounted physical buttons are devoted to the climate controls.
Honda’s plan to move customers into the Prologue
According to Thursday’s statement, each of the this year’s redesigned SUVs (HR-V, CR-V and Pilot) play a role in preparing the automaker for mass EV sales. The CR-V Hybrid, more specifically, is a linchpin in bringing Honda’s hybrid sales mix and moving owners toward EVs. To do that, the automaker plans to offer CR-V hybrid customers a shorter, two-year lease in heavy zero-emissions vehicle markets as it goes on sale this fall. Ultimately, those people will then have the opportunity on the other end to trade their CR-V Hybrid in for a Prologue when Honda’s BEV goes on sale, sometime in 2024.
Of course, we have no idea how much the 2024 Honda Prologue will cost at this point. Current rumors suggest this SUV will be built alongside the Equinox EV at GM’s Ramos Arizpe, Mexico plant, so it may be eligible for the revamped $7,500 EV tax credit under the Inflation Reduction Act. That’s a sensible conclusion to draw, though it has not been confirmed at this point.
Honda did say that its next EVs beyond the Prologue will certainly be produced in North America. Those vehicles will ride on Honda’s “e:Architecture” and will almost certainly leverage the company’s joint venture on a new lithium-ion battery plant with LG Energy Solution. Both firms announced that tie-up in late August, though the exact details are still subject to regulatory approval.
The Honda-GM venture will continue beyond the Prologue, as both manufacturers plan to co-develop and launch another series of EVs for the North American market by 2027.
