Lovers of retro-styled electric cars, rejoice! Honda
is said to bring a near-production concept of the Urban EV at the Geneva Motor
Show in March. A source close to the company told Autοnews Europe that the Urban EV
debuting in Geneva will be in a near-production form (likely badged as
“Prototype”). According to the same unnamed person, the full production model
will arrive half a year later at the Frankfurt Motor Show and will go on sale
in early 2020.
Interestingly, it is unlikely to be called the
Urban. Whatever the name, the city car will be Honda’s first all-electric
vehicle available in Europe. If the report is accurate, that would make the
Urban EV’s gestation period unusually short — only two years would have passed
since its reveal in concept form at the 2017 Frankfurt Motor Show and its debut
as a production model at the same venue’s 2019 edition.
The first sighting of a development prototype last
year confirmed the production car will look a lot like the study, which is
about 100 mm shorter than the Jazz subcompact. However, it will have
five doors instead of three and will switch from four to five seats for obvious
practicality reasons.
The doors will also be front hinged as opposed to
rear hinged on the study but other than that the production version will stick
really close to the concept styling-wise. Honda remains tight-lipped about the
powertrain but it is known the vehicle will use a new dedicated electric
platform.
Honda forecasts sales of around 5,000 units a year
for its first all-electric car available in Europe. The model will compete with
models such as the Renault Zoe, VW e-up! and other upcoming rivals from Opel
(Corsa) and Citroën (C1). The EV will play an important role in Honda’s plan to
electrify two-thirds of its vehicles sold in Europe by 2025.
