Honda Shows Off Urban EV Concept Throwback In Frankfurt

Honda’s new electric supermini harkens back to Civics of old, and previews cutesy EV design future.

Disregard a few of the concept car design cues – like the million-spoke wheels, rear-opening doors, customizable message display in the front panel, and the cutesy electric plug motif in the rear quarter panel. You are allegedly looking at the future of Honda’s small electric vehicles. It’s fitting that Honda went with a throwback design to the old Civic, because that car changed what Honda meant, hopefully in a similar way that this Urban EV will set the stage for Honda’s future. Not only that, but this design is quite fetching, and usable to boot. This diminutive car has comfortable couch-like seating for four adults in an upright cabin.

“This is not some vision of the distant future; a production version of this car will be here in Europe in 2019,” Honda Motor Co. President and CEO, Takahiro Hachigo said at the car’s unveiling. Europe is the key word here, as it doesn’t seem that the US market will be getting this little EV any time soon. A shame, really, because we would be immediate customers.

Honda claims that this car is even capable of smart electricity storage, allowing owners to charge up the car during off-peak hours when electricity rates are lower. If you aren’t going to be driving the car on a particular day, the car’s battery power can be redistributed back into powering your home during expensive high-rate hours. If your car has more energy stored than your home needs, it can even “sell” kWhs back to the grid to help lower your monthly electric bill.

We love everything about this car, and hope that it goes on to sell a boatload for Honda. While they’re redoing vintage designs as EVs, however, would it be too much trouble to get a new-age S600 Coupe two-seat electric sports car?