TOKYO — Honda is set to unveil a trio of concepts at the upcoming 2009 Tokyo Auto Show in mid-October, including the EV-N, a small electric city car concept that revives the look of the N360 minicar from the '60s.
Honda is no stranger to EVs. It had the electric EV Plus on the road back in 1997, but this tiny retro EV-N could be Honda's electric answer to the Fiat 500.
The four-seater has a state-of-the-art lithium-ion battery pack that can be partly charged from solar panels in the roof. It also features a new technology called HELLO that allows it to communicate electronically with the outside world and with other Honda cars.
Just for fun, this "design study" also mounts the unicycle-like U3-X "personal mobility device" in the door.
Inside Line says: Whether the N360 is the right base vehicle for a new city EV from Honda is perhaps another question. — Peter Nunn, Correspondent