Here’s how Honda’s next electric SUV was designed during the pandemic
Enlarge / Honda started using VR in car design in 2017, which came in handy once coronavirus made collaborating in person impossible. (credit: Honda)
After March 2020, every automaker on the planet had to rethink how it leveraged technology. Everything from design and engineering to key partnerships needed to be rethought to keep businesses running. While Honda may not be the automaker you think of as pushing the automotive tech envelope, its long-time presence in Silicon Valley and its forward-thinking made it relatively early to the advanced tech-design game when the pandemic hit.
To that end, Honda has been using virtual reality design systems, and its long-time relationship with Google, to bring better products to Honda customers. We got an exclusive peek inside the VR studio and a brief look at Honda's new "Google Built-In" experience coming to the 2023 Honda Accord, and perhaps a few hints at what could be coming for Honda owners and drivers alike.
Inside the Honda VR studio and a virtual Honda Prologue EVHonda has built a completely digital design studio that helps designers and engineers on opposite sides of the world collaborate on future designs, including one of Honda's first consumer battery-electric vehicles.