to open or find a new path or snap course? Honda's first pure electric car focuses on "small" battery capacity, which is only half that of the Model 3.

Published: Sep 1, 2020 11:17

SMM: on August 27th, Honda officially announced that it will launch its first production pure electric car, Honda e, in Europe and Japan on October 30th, with a minimum suggested retail price of about 4.5 million yen (equivalent to about 292000 yuan).

The Honda e is a compact model that is used only for urban driving. The car can only travel 280km on a single charge and has only half the battery capacity of Tesla's Model 3. Another design highlight of the model is the removal of the rearview mirror.

Limited by the high cost of batteries, electric vehicles have been in a high-end position in the automobile market, and many car manufacturers are also committed to developing multi-purpose models with larger battery capacity, some of which can reach 570 km on a single charge.

Tomofumi Ichinose, chief engineer of Honda E, said: "most electric cars have large battery capacity, but in urban commuting, many times do not need that large capacity." "We question whether large cars are suitable for urban areas, and think that smaller models may be a better choice for urban life."

The two-door Honda e is compact and retro, reminiscent of Honda's classic N360 and N600 models of the 1960s. The model is positioned as a high-end city car and costs more space and longer mileage than Renault's Zoe ZE50,.

In addition, one of the highlights of the model is the cancellation of the design of the rearview mirror, so that drivers can use the camera to observe the road conditions behind the car on the screen inside the car. Honda engineers say they can ensure the sharpness of the image even when it rains.

The car will go on sale in Europe and Japan at the end of October. Honda expects to sell only about 10, 000 cars a year in Europe and 1000 at home. Honda will also introduce the car to its shared car industry.

Honda said it had no plans to sell the car in North America or China. North America and China are the two major markets dominated by suv.

Click to understand and sign up for the 2020 China Automotive New Materials Application Summit Forum.

Scan the QR code above to view the business cards of the participating companies and sign up online

Scan the QR code and follow the official account of Wechat, a new energy source of SMM, cobalt and lithium.

Data Source Statement: Except for publicly available information, all other data are processed by SMM based on publicly available information, market communication, and relying on SMM‘s internal database model. They are for reference only and do not constitute decision-making recommendations.

For any inquiries or to learn more information, please contact: lemonzhao@smm.cn
For more information on how to access our research reports, please contact:service.en@smm.cn
Related News
In January, national passenger car producers' new energy wholesale estimates reached 900,000 units, up 1% YoY.
15 hours ago
In January, national passenger car producers' new energy wholesale estimates reached 900,000 units, up 1% YoY.
Read More
In January, national passenger car producers' new energy wholesale estimates reached 900,000 units, up 1% YoY.
In January, national passenger car producers' new energy wholesale estimates reached 900,000 units, up 1% YoY.
According to the latest data from the Passenger Car Association, in December 2025, producers with new energy wholesale sales exceeding 10,000 units accounted for 93% of the total wholesale sales of passenger NEVs that month. Based on preliminary January data, these producers achieved sales of 830,000 units in January. As most producers have already locked in their major sales figures, by applying the structural proportion from the previous month to the current month's data, the estimated wholesale sales of passenger NEVs nationwide in January were 900,000 units. According to comprehensive preliminary monthly association data: the estimated wholesale sales of NEVs by national passenger car producers in January 2026 were 900,000 units, up 1% YoY.
15 hours ago
CAAM: In 2025, 476,000 complete vehicles were imported, down 32.4% YoY.
15 hours ago
CAAM: In 2025, 476,000 complete vehicles were imported, down 32.4% YoY.
Read More
CAAM: In 2025, 476,000 complete vehicles were imported, down 32.4% YoY.
CAAM: In 2025, 476,000 complete vehicles were imported, down 32.4% YoY.
据中国汽车工业协会整理的海关总署数据显示,2025年12月,汽车整车进口3.0万辆,环比下降30.4%,同比下降56.1%;进口金额14.7亿美元,环比下降23.6%,同比下降52.5%。2025年,汽车整车进口47.6万辆,同比下降32.4%;进口金额236.4亿美元,同比下降39.7%。
15 hours ago
Canada Announces New EV Strategy, to Collaborate with China
15 hours ago
Canada Announces New EV Strategy, to Collaborate with China
Read More
Canada Announces New EV Strategy, to Collaborate with China
Canada Announces New EV Strategy, to Collaborate with China
According to CCTV News, on February 5, Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney announced a new electric vehicle strategy, including the reinstatement of car purchase subsidies, and stated that Canada will cooperate with China to promote the local production and export of EVs in Canada. According to a statement released by the Prime Minister's Office of Canada, the country will make full use of existing and newly established trade agreements, including a recently reached EV cooperation agreement with China, to facilitate large-scale investment in this sector, diversify Canada’s automotive export markets, and position Canada as one of the global leaders in the electric vehicle industry.
15 hours ago