News: Honda Takes Wraps Off Sports EV Concept

We suggest bring it from the Tokyo Motor Show to the USA

After teasing the Honda Sports EV Concept two-passenger battery electric sports car last week, Honda unveiled the tiny car at the Tokyo Motor Show early this morning. This is the second model to be previewed on Honda’s new dedicated electric car platform, following the Urban EV city car from the recent Frankfurt Motor Show.

At present, no other car maker offers a model anything like the Sports EV, so if Honda can turn around the concept from production as quickly as it will the Urban EV (scheduled for 2019), it could have the Honda Sports EV in production for 2020–well ahead of any rival.

Design Continuity from the Urban EV

The two-seat coupe continues the design theme set out by the Urban EV, adopting a retro-inspired look with square taillights, round headlamps and an illuminated front badge set in a blacked-out grille. The elongated hood, flared haunches and coupe-like roofline give it traditional sports car looks despite the advanced technology under the skin. Honda says the Sports EV uses artificial intelligence in the form of the Honda Automated Network Assistant. Aside from handling basic tasks like navigation, it uses an “emotion engine” that’s supposed to gauge the feelings that influence your driving decisions.

The Honda Sports EV appears to be slightly smaller than a Mazda Miata, and it is obvious it will be a front- engine, rear-wheel-drive car. No specific powertrain details were given for either the Sports EV or Urban EV concepts. Honda said the Urban EV featured a high-density, lightweight battery pack, integrated heat management and energy transfer functions both to and from the vehicle. The same technology would appear in the Sports EV too. Honda sources had suggested a range of around 150 miles for the Urban EV concept, so something similar should be expected for the Sports EV.

“We haven’t decided any specifications, including the range, as well as when to release this car,” Honda CEO Takahiro Hachigo said after unveiling the diminutive vehicle. “But if we were to introduce it, I would like to bring it first to the Japanese market.”

We would encourage Mr. Hachigo to consider bringing the Honda Sports EV to America. It would be a great little commuter car in the U.S. as well as Japan. And we’ll bet it would be fun to drive on some non-commute  roads we know. We’ll eagerly wait for an update from Honda on production plans. 

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