Honda E Small EV Replacement Off The Cards As Brand Shifts To SUVs

The market wants SUVs, so the pint-sized electric hatchback will only live for one generation.

Honda E Limited Edition

Iulian Dnistran

By: Iulian Dnistran

Jul 25, 2023 at 11:40am ET

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The Honda E, the Japanese manufacturer’s first mass-market all-electric vehicle, will not get a replacement when the time comes, as the market for small, city hatchbacks is shrinking and customers demand SUVs, according to Autocar.

Launched in 2020 in several markets except the United States, the four-door urban runabout has a power output of up to 113 kilowatts (152 horsepower) and 232 pound-feet (315 Newton-meters) of torque, all of which goes to the rear wheels through a single-speed permanent magnet motor.

It’s quite an interesting machine, with retro styling inspired by the first-generation Civic and digital side mirrors that pipe in video to a pair of screens inside, but with a battery capacity of 35.5 kilowatt-hours, the range was WLTP rated at just 131 miles (211 kilometers), which is adequate for most city trips, but it’s also lower than what the cheaper Dacia Spring has to offer, with its claimed range of 140 miles (230 km) on a full charge.

Gallery: Honda E Limited Edition

Honda E Limited Edition

In fairness, the two models are not rivals, but the price difference is hard to ignore. In Germany, the Spring starts at 22,750 euros, while the Honda E has an MSRP of 39,900 euro.

Currently, Honda sells the all-electric E in Europe, with orders for the recently revealed e:Ny1 crossover expected to open later this year, and it looks like the Japanese automaker is going with what the market demands, which is more and more SUVs and SUV-like vehicles.

“There won’t be more cars the size of the Honda E. I can say that confidently,” said Rebecca Adamson for Autocar. “The market demand in the UK is the SUV sector, so that’s why the focus is there. It’s a market-led product line-up. As long as that’s where the market is, we will continue to be SUV driven.”

According to CarSalesBase, a website that gathers information about sales figures from manufacturers and Jato Dynamics, Honda sold just 4,078 units of the small E hatchback in Europe in its debut year of 2020, and 3,752 units in 2021.

As for the new e:Ny1 (spelled anyone), which is powered by a 150 kW (201 hp) electric motor and has a WLPT range of 256 miles (412 km), the automaker’s expectations are much higher than before, with hopes of selling around 7,500 units in the UK alone by 2024.

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The Honda e:Ny1 starts at 47,590 euros in Germany and will not be sold in the United States.

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