Honda shows new electric prototype, says ‘mass production version’ coming this year

Honda unveiled the first image of a new electric prototype and the Japanese automaker says that it will release a production version by the end of the year.

When it comes to electric vehicles, Honda’s plans have been difficult to follow.

Two years ago, Honda unveiled a retro-looking urban EV concept and said that it will bring a version of the car to market.

Now, the company is unveiling a new electric concept, which it says is “linked to Honda’s Urban EV Concept”.

“The debut is a further demonstration of Honda’s ‘Electric Vision’, a commitment that two thirds of European sales will feature electrified technology by 2025. A mass production version of the car will be on sale later in the year.”

The unveiled a first image of the concept, which will be unveiled in full at the Geneva Motor Show in March:

Honda confirms world premiere of new electric vehicle prototype at 2019 Geneva Motor Show

While Honda says that the new concept is linked to the original retro EV concept, the new concept is completely different from the previous version of the car unveiled in Frankfurt back in 2017:

The Japenese automaker also unveiled an all-electric sports car concept based on the new electric platform and with a similar design language as the retro-looking urban, but it didn’t announce any official plan to bring the vehicle to production.

Nonetheless, Honda is reportedly still interested in all-electric vehicles.

Last year, GM and Honda announced that they are partnering to build next-gen batteries for electric vehicles and the automaker is reportedly working on an affordable all-electric Fit-based car with China’s biggest battery maker.

Electrek’s Take

It sounds like they are putting through the retro-looking urban EV through another iteration before unveiling the production version.

I hope the production version is a lot closer to the original concept.

The new one looks more like a smart car to me and that’s not a compliment in my book.

That said, I like that they are talking about “a mass production version.”

We will report back when we get all the details at the full unveiling at the Geneva Motor Show.