Honda has confirmed a production version of its Urban EV Concept will be available in 2019. 

The new model was displayed at the 2018 Geneva Motor Show and is built on a completely new platform, setting the direction for the technology and design that will appear on a future battery electric Honda production models.

Honda president and CEO, Takahiro Hachigo, said: “This is not some vision of the distant future; a production version of this car will be here in Europe in 2019.”

Honda’s Urban EV Concept showcases advanced technology within a simple and sophisticated design. Its low and wide proportions give the car a planted, muscular stance that hint at sporty driving performance. Its compact proportions mean it has a total vehicle length 100mm shorter than the Jazz supermini.

The Honda emblem on the concept is backlit in blue, which previews a new styling feature for the company‘s future EVs.

Honda’s Urban EV Concept can accommodate four occupants, across two bench seats finished in different materials. A wood finish wraps around a large ‘floating’ dashboard console. This houses the steering wheel column, a set of simple control buttons, and a panoramic display screen.

The dashboard itself is completed by a wrap-around screen that runs behind the console and extends into the doors. The main dashboard screen presents a range of vehicle information including remaining battery level. Whilst the extended door screens function as the car’s wing mirrors through digital camera displays.

Honda Automated Network Assistant concierge
Honda’s Urban EV Concept showcases the company’s vision for a world where mobility and daily life are seamlessly linked. The on-board advanced Honda Automated Network Assistant acts as a personal concierge, which learns from the driver by detecting emotions behind their judgments. It can then apply what it has learnt from the driver’s past decisions to make new choices and recommendations.

Honda Power Manager
New methods for managing energy transfers between the grid, homes and electric vehicles could provide revenue opportunities for EV owners in the future. Honda’s Power Manager Concept, intitally revealed alongside the Urban EV Concept at the 2017 Frankfurt Motor Show, is a smart system that can store energy more efficiently, releasing electricity generated by renewable sources back into the home or selling it back to the grid.

Electric Vision
Honda’s ‘Electric Vision’ strategy, launched at the 2017 Geneva Motor Show, includes the development of a dedicated electric vehicle platform, featuring fully-electric powertrain technology. Key parts of the powertrain development will include a high-density, lightweight battery pack, integrated heat management and the evolution of energy transfer functions – both to and from the vehicle.