Dongfeng Honda to launch S7 SUV on Mar 6 with Huawei smart driving, report says

Dongfeng Honda will offer two smart driving solutions for the S7 SUV -- Honda Sensing 360+, and Huawei's smart driving solution, according to local media. Honda unveiled a new EV brand called Ye in China in April 2024, but is no longer mentioning the brand in its current marketing. (A Honda Ye S7 on display at the April 2024 Beijing auto show. Image credit: CnEVPost) Dongfeng Honda, the joint venture between Japanese auto giant Honda and Dongfeng Motor (HKG: 0489), will officially launch its new Honda S7 on March 6 with an option to carry Huawei's smart driving solution, a report by local media outlet Yiche said today. Dongfeng Honda will offer two parallel smart driving solutions for the S7 SUV (sport utility vehicle) -- Honda Sensing 360+, and Huawei's solution, according to the report. The model will also feature Honda's light field screen, developed in collaboration with Huawei, which is a technology similar to an AR-HUD that enables a large-format, long-range viewing experience in a small space, the report said. Honda unveiled its new EV brand called Ye in China on April 6, 2024, its third brand in China targeting the EV market after e:N and Lingxi. The new Ye brand would address the needs of Chinese customers and would build cars based on the all-electric Architecture W architecture, Honda said last April. The Japanese automaker unveiled three new models at the time, the Ye P7, Ye S7, and Ye GT, saying that the first two were scheduled to go on sale by the end of 2024, while the third would go into production in 2025. The Ye P7 and Ye S7 have yet to be officially launched, however. On January 6, another local media outlet, 36kr, reported that Honda was exploring cooperation with Huawei in the field of smart driving, and was expected to use the Chinese tech giant's smart driving solution on the Ye brand. It's worth noting that since earlier this month, Dongfeng Honda and GAC Honda, another Honda joint venture in China, have both stopped using the "Ye" brand in their marketing for the Ye series, instead using the P7 and S7 directly. Part of the reason for this shift in strategy may be that the Ye brand received negative feedback after it was announced, as its Chinese character was seen as unlucky. The Honda S7 measures 4,750 mm in length, 1,930 mm in width and 1,625 mm in height, with a wheelbase of 2,930 mm, according to a previous regulatory filing. It is equipped with dual motors with maximum power of 150 kW and 200 kW respectively, as well as a lithium ternary battery made by CATL. Honda's 1st NEV plant globally goes into production in China