Honda’s EV concept looks back for future inspiration

Honda’s new Urban EV Concept has made its debut at the 2017 Frankfurt Motor Show. The all-electric show car is constructed on a completely new platform and showcases the technology and design language that will appear on future battery-electric Hondas. At the Urban EV Concept’s unveiling, Honda president and CEO Takahiro Hachigo confirmed that a production version was just around the corner. “This is not some vision of the distant future; a production version of this car will be here in Europe in 2019,” he said. The eye-catching concept, which is reminiscent of the original Civic, features a low, muscular stance that Honda says hints at “sporty driving performance”. The Honda emblem on the front grille features blue backlighting – a design cue that will also appear on future EV models – and multilingual messages can also be displayed between the headlights. Rear-hinged coach doors open to reveal an interior with enough seats for four, thanks to two bench seats. The front bench is upholstered with a natural grey fabric, while the rear bench gains wood-finish accents to lend the cabin a “lounge feeling”. The “floating” dashboard features this same wood finish and houses the steering wheel column, a set of a control buttons and a large panoramic display screen that shows a range of vehicle information. Also appearing in the Urban EV Concept is what Honda calls its “Automated Network Assistant”, which can learn from the driver by detecting the emotions behind their judgements to make new choices and recommendations.