Dongfeng-Honda joint venture announced the Honda S7 crossover will launch βsoonβ in China. It will reportedly be equipped with Huaweiβs assisted driving software.
Honda unveiled its electric vehicle (EV) strategy in April last year under the Ye series, announcing plans to launch six models by 2027. The company introduced three of those models on stage: the Ye S7, Ye P7, and Ye GT concept.
The S7 and P7 are nearly identical cars. The main difference is that the S7 is manufactured by the Dongfeng joint venture and the P7 by the GAC joint venture, so Honda can satisfy both its JV partners in China.
Ye (η¨) means to βshine brilliantlyβ in Chinese. However, in recent official communication and press releases, CarNewsChina noticed that Honda dropped the Ye branding and called the two sister models the Honda S7 and Honda P7. Honda still put the Ye logo in the corner of the posters, so we will have to wait for the launch event to clarify this.
We already know many details about Hondaβs new EV thanks to regulatory filings. The Honda S7 is a mid-size five-seater SUV that sits on a βWβ platform. Its dimensions are 4750/1930/1625 mm (l/w/h), and its wheelbase is 2930 mm. The curb weight is 2,305 kg.
The electricity is stored in an 89.8 kWh ternary (NMC) battery pack from CATL, which provides a 620 km CLTC range. S7 is AWD, powered by dual motors, with the front motor producing 150 kW and the rear 200 kW power. The combined maximum output is 350 kW (469 hp), and the top speed is limited to 180 km/h. RWD variant with a single 200 kW motor will also be available.
China-made Hondas will adopt Huaweiβs assisted driving software, according to a report from early January. Japanese investors were not satisfied with the Hondaβs advanced driver-assistance system (ADAS), so this launch was postponed to Q1 2025 to find the solution, which happens to be Huaweiβs Qiankun ADSΒ assisted driving tech.
Honda already has experience working with Huawei in China, having cooperated with Huawei on the cockpit system in its existing cars.
Honda also has its own ADAS, Honda Sensing 360+, and the target is to offer cars in China with both options from Honda and Huawei.
The interior has many screens, as a proper Chinese EV must have. Aside from digital rearview mirrors, there is a massive infotainment screen in the middle, which looks like one LCD, but it is actually two separate screens: the 10β³ bottom screen and the 12.8β³ on top of it. The size of the driverβs instrument panel will be revealed upon launch.
Editorβs comment
Huweiβs ADAS is Chinaβs finest, surpassing even Xpeng in many scenarios. It is Chinaβs biggest driving assistance systems supplier, with customers like Dongfeng, Changan, GAC, BAIC, Seres, Chery, and JAC. Thus, Hondaβs move mimics VWβs βIn China for Chinaβ strategy and can become an important selling point in the bloody Chinese EV war.
Talking about the price, the car is expected to be positioned above Dongfeng Honda e:NS1, which has a price range of 175,000 β 218,000 yuan (24,000 β 30,000 USD). Therefore, we can expect the starting price for the Honda S7 to be at least 200,000 yuan (27,600 USD). The car will compete with cars such as the Tesla Model Y, Xpeng G6, Nio ES6, or Xiaomi YU7, which will launch in June. The Honda S7 is a China-only EV.
Honda has been one of the bestselling brands in China for many years. However, its sales declined 26.7% in 2024 to 881,347 vehicles. Honda tried to reverse this trend by launching e:N electric brand, but without much success. Ye series is another attempt to stay relevant in China. We will keep an eye on it.
