Honda teases new sports electric car to be unveiled next month

Today, Honda released a teaser of a new electric car concept – pictured above – to be unveiled at the 45th Tokyo Motor Show 2017 next month.

Honda wrote in a press release:

“The Honda Sports EV Concept aims to realize a feel of unity with the car, combining EV performance and AI with a compact form. While sharing the platform with Honda Urban EV Concept, its unforgettable silhouette, friendly front fascia that naturally blends into any lifestyle, and supple surfaces make it a next-generation sports car that brings joy and emotional attachment in ownership.”

The teaser looks like a small coupe and nothing like the retro-looking car unveiled on the same platform earlier this month.

Electrek’s Take

While it’s still only a “concept”, which often never make it to production, the vehicle is based on the same platform as the Honda Urban EV concept unveiled earlier this month at the Frankfurt Motor Show.

The Japanese automaker, which hasn’t much going in terms of all-electric vehicle programs, said that it plans to bring an electric car based on the Urban EV to production in 2019.

Therefore, maybe this new Honda Sports EV Concept also has a chance to be more than just a show car.

Honda’s first all-electric car effort, the Clarity, is not winning any award soon and the automaker definitely needs new entries in the electric car space if it wants to keep up with the industry.

The move is particularly difficult for the Japanese automaker since it has long been developing efficient internal combustion engines and when it came to zero-emission solutions, the company bet on fuel cell hydrogen. Now that regulations are accelerating the timeline for the adoption of electric cars, it looks like they have been left behind in the transition.