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 (3.93 in) 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.
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