Honda finally has a name for its first electric SUV, not to mention more precise timing. As Roadshownotes, the automaker has revealed that this EV people hauler (not pictured here) will be called the Prologue when it arrives in early 2024. You'll also see the promised Acura SUV sometime in calendar 2024, although that vaguer promise suggests this model will trail its more mainstream counterpart.

The company still isn't providing much detail about what the Prologue will entail, although it reiterated that both the Prologue and its Acura counterpart will run on GM's Ultium batteries. Don't expect that tie-up to last long, though, as Honda also promises EVs in the second half of the decade based on a new "e:Architecture."

The Prologue could be one of Honda's most important cars in recent memory. The company plans to shift completely to EVs by 2040, with 40 percent of major-market sales either using batteries or hydrogen fuel cells by 2030. If the brand is going to meet those goals, it needs to roll out broadly appealing EVs rather than relatively niche models like the Honda E compact. The Prologue will start that course and show just how well Honda can transition away from combustion engines.

Honda is revealing more about its first EVs for the US — and not surprisingly, they'll be decidedly larger than the Honda E. US sales chief Dave Gardner told the AP and others that Honda would sell two electric SUVS in the US for the 2024 model year. While further details were unsurprisingly scarce, one model would sell through the upscale Acura badge. Both would have previously hinted-at GM electric technology underneath, although Honda would supply the rest.

You'll hear more about the SUVs later this year, Gardner said. He added that there would be hybrid versions of popular models, although he didn't name them. The company currently sells two dedicated hybrids, the Clarity and Insight, as well as partly electrified versions of the Accord and CR-V.

We wouldn't expect these models to look too much like the SUV E:concept from September 2020. The production version of that vehicle was headed to China, and its two-door coupe design likely wouldn't get much traction in North America.

Honda doesn't have much choice. With President Biden expected to bring back tougher emissions standards and otherwise make a push for electric cars, Honda could be in trouble if it doesn't lower its emissions averages with more EVs and hybrids. There's also the matter of competition. With Ford, GM and other rivals planning to electrify large parts of their lineups in the years ahead, Honda risks being left behind in the US (and abroad) if it sticks with combustion engines.