Honda to spend US$64 billion on R&D as it revs up electric ambitions

April 12, 2022

TOKYO: Japan’s Honda Motor Co said on Tuesday (Apr 12) it plans to spend US$64 billion on research and development over the next decade, laying out an ambitious target to roll out 30 electric vehicle (EV) models globally by 2030.

Its goals also include producing about 2 million EVs a year by 2030. The strategy marks a push to take ground in the fast-growing market for EVs, where Tesla Inc leads and Japanese automakers risk falling behind traditional European and US rivals.

Honda and other Japanese automakers have long said that even as they go electric, they won’t give up on older, hybrid technology. Proponents of hybrids point to the many markets – especially some emerging markets – where infrastructure to support battery EVs will be a long time coming.

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“By no means is this the end of hybrids and the replacement of all hybrids with EVs,” Honda Chief Executive Toshihiro Mibe told the presentation.

“We will develop our current hybrids and use them as a weapon in our business.”

The bulk of the 8 trillion-yen (US$64 billion) investment would be in electrification and software technologies. That includes about 43 billion yen of spending on a demonstration line for the production of solid-state batteries, with the aim of starting that in spring 2024.

Shares of Honda finished up 0.7 per cent at the close of morning trade in Tokyo, outperforming a 1.4 per cent decline in the Nikkei 225 index.

Source: Reuters