Honda is a compact SUV veteran. The Japanese automaker’s CR-V small SUV has competed with the best SUVs in its segment for decades. Honda knows how to produce a popular SUV, but things could go either way for the Honda Prologue because of a few key events. Here are two reasons why the Honda Prologue could be an epic fail.

Honda’s track record for producing EVs for the American market isn’t great

The Honda Prologue won’t be Honda’s first electric vehicle, but it has the potential to be its most popular electric vehicle in America. The brand produced a Honda Clarity EV, but the electric vehicle was short-lived. The automaker killed off the clarity because of poor sales. Consumers didn’t appreciate its measly 89-mile driving range.

The Clarity EV was an epic failure. It made consumers question whether the Japanese automaker was capable of producing a popular electric vehicle for the American market or not. Honda realized it needed help developing a successful EV nameplate and platform, so it is collaborating with one of America’s big three automakers.

The Honda Prologue’s success will depend on what Honda has produced with the help of General Motors. While the GM partnership may seem like a no-brainer to Honda, there are plenty of reasons to be skeptical of the team-up.

General Motors is struggling with its own electric vehicles

General Motors achieved early success launching an EV nameplate in 2017 with the Chevy Bolt. “Success” isn’t the first word that many auto enthusiasts associate with the Bolt due to recent events. The electric vehicle nameplate was part of one of the largest, most expensive EV recalls in recent history.

The Chevy Bolt and Bolt EUV were part of a billion-dollar recall because of batteries that were prone to overheating. The Bolt made headlines numerous times for all the wrong reasons, as batteries overheated and even caught fire at times. General Motors is determined to fix the Bolt and Bolt EUV and make both models available to consumers again. Many expect GM to eventually discontinue both electric vehicles after the battery fire debacle.

Honda needs help launching a successful EV platform, but is GM really the authority on releasing popular electric vehicles? Who’s to say? All consumers know is that things didn’t turn out too well for the last GM EV, so buyers have no idea what to expect from a Honda General Motors collab.

Honda and GM have big plans to electrify lineups

Honda, GM, and many popular automakers aim to achieve complete carbon neutrality in the decades to come. Automakers have set the year 2030 as an expectation to meet certain electric vehicle production milestones.

If Honda and General Motors are to roll out successful new EV nameplates, the next few models will be pivotal to their success. One slip-up could mean letting another automaker gain more of the total market share. Honda and GM are already behind automakers like Telsa and soon will trail behind Ford in the EV space.

The race to create the most popular electric vehicles has begun. Will Honda finally gain on competitors, or will it continue to be lapped? According to Car and Driver, the 2024 Honda Prologue should debut in late 2023.

Learn more about a Honda Prologue rival, the Toyota bZ4X, in the next article below.