Japan's answer to the Kia EV5, Tesla Model Y and XPeng G6? Honda's new S7 electric SUV goes on sale in China, but what about Australia?

Where are Honda’s electric cars?

The Japanese brand is one of the few mainstream carmakers to have zero electric cars in its Australian range.

That doesn’t mean it has none globally, though. Honda has the Prologue in the US and the HR-V-sized e:Ny1 has been confirmed for New Zealand but not for Australia.

Now it is rolling out a range of electric cars in China with its partner Dongfeng. The first is the S7 mid-size SUV.

This is a similar path trod by other Japanese makers. 

Nissan and Toyota produce a range of EVs in China with different partners, so does Mazda with its Changan joint venture.

Honda has said these vehicles are for the Chinese market only, as have other brands, until suddenly they weren’t.

Mazda repeatedly said its EZ-6 electric sedan was for China only, but now it has been confirmed for Europe. This also includes the UK, which is another right-hand drive market, and opens the door for future Australian deliveries.

So, never say never to Honda’s latest range of EVs.

The S7 is available with either a single- or dual-motor layout.

Single motor versions make 200kW, which is sent to the rear wheels. Dual motor versions add another front mounted motor for all-wheel drive grip and 350kW of combined grunt.

Both use a roughly 90kWh nickel-manganese-cobalt battery, which the company claims delivers a 620km range in the heavier dual motor version and 700km in the less powerful single motor variant.

These range claims are based on the more lenient China Light-duty vehicle Test Cycle (CLTC), with a 20 per cent drop expected if tested to the benchmark WLTP cycle.

Self driving technology is a big selling point in China and the S7 comes with the brand’s latest semi-autonomous technology.

Inside there are plenty of tech features, including a massive 24-inch tablet-style multimedia screen, a slimline 9.9-inch digital instrument display and an augmented reality head-up display.

It also has digital side mirrors, which Australian drivers have not warmed too. Several carmakers, including Hyundai, have removed the digital side mirrors as standard and made them optional only.