Tuesday 5th March 2019

Honda e Prototype: Geneva 2019

Concept car unveil coincides with confirmation that Honda will electrify all of its lineup by 2025

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Honda has pledged for 100 per cent of its European sales to comprise electrified cars by 2025, meaning everything - including the successor to the Civic Type R - will use at least hybrid power. The announcement, which coincided with the reveal of the Prototype EV hatchback in Geneva, builds on the car maker's earlier intention for 80 per cent of its global sales to be electrified by the same year, and suggests Honda's core line-up will be gradually shifted towards using battery electric power over the coming decade.

The production version of the e Prototype, the toned-down follow-up to the retro Urban EV, will kick things off before the Sports EV follows, using the same rear-drive platform in a more driver-focussed form. They'll join the existing hybrid models, the CR-V and, of course, the NSX, while the replacements for today's Civic, HR-V and CR-V ought to also gain some form of electrification - or, perhaps, be replaced by new clean sheet electrified variants.

What does this mean for the Civic Type R, then? It suggests Honda, like Ford with its Focus RS successor, could adopt a hybrid powertrain for the hatchback, offering all the performance benefits provided by an electric motor along with a sizeable cut in CO2 emissions. Indeed, plenty of cars in this segment and the one above are already venturing into hybrid power. The next RS will be joined in the class by a mild-hybrid version of the AMG A45, after all.

In order to ready itself for an increased supply of electrified vehicles, Honda has also announced that it's working with electric power companies such as Moixa and Ubitricity to extend the service it provides to include energy. Much in the same way Tesla offers its customers everything from charging ports to solar panels, Honda looks like it wants to have input in an extended part of the ownership experience.

[OOCH]

The prototype looked fantastic but this version looks like a skoda fabia.

[FLO.]

It looks similar to the VW golf MK2

[Hitch]

It looks worried and sad, like that robot from Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy

[raceboy]

That's a bit disappointing, how did it morph from this to that?

[PistonTim]

raceboy said:

That's a bit disappointing, how did it morph from this to that?

Bigger wheels with a lower ride height and different colour roof? Otherwise looks pretty much identical?

[Krikkit]

PH do you need someone to go to Geneva for you every year and get some decent pictures on press day? Yours are absolutely dreadful, even before compression...

[raceboy]

PistonTim said:

Bigger wheels with a lower ride height and different colour roof? Otherwise looks pretty much identical?

Front grill and headlights look a lot different, the new car looks like it might be 5 door and not 3, door handles have appeared where as the concept had suicide doors, the arches look less flared and I'm guessing the messages on the outside bit has been lost.
Realistically the usual differences between cool concept and profitable mass produced car.

[Nerdherder]

PistonTim said:

raceboy said:

That's a bit disappointing, how did it morph from this to that?

Bigger wheels with a lower ride height and different colour roof? Otherwise looks pretty much identical?

https://www.specsavers.co.uk

[Mercury00]

They said in an interview they built the concept car after the production model had been finalised, so there was basically no point in the concept other than to say "here's what you could've won".

[swisstoni]

Krikkit said:

PH do you need someone to go to Geneva for you every year and get some decent pictures on press day? Yours are absolutely dreadful, even before compression...

PH coverage of shows like this have always been absolutely ste. I suppose sending a bod there costs money and PH is free so you can’t really complain. However I would have thought it would pay for itself in the number of stories it would throw up. Especially the smaller marques that may not ever get centre stage But what do I know?
YouTube on the other hand is brilliant for this sort of thing.

[RWDan]

Everything cool about the concept model has been lost in the production model in my eyes.

The overall look has gone from a retro futuristic (oxymoron?) sporty hot hatch look, to something your gran would drive. Shame.

[Krikkit]

swisstoni said:

Krikkit said:

PH do you need someone to go to Geneva for you every year and get some decent pictures on press day? Yours are absolutely dreadful, even before compression...

PH coverage of shows like this have always been absolutely ste. I suppose sending a bod there costs money and PH is free so you can’t really complain. However I would have thought it would pay for itself in the number of stories it would throw up. Especially the smaller marques that may not ever get centre stage But what do I know?
YouTube on the other hand is brilliant for this sort of thing.

I'd happily do it for expenses, on a press day it'd be easy to get good shots of everything new.

[Pumpsmynads]

Honda doing a Toyota supra concept to supra reality.

Then they’ll complain when it doesn’t sell. “But it got so much positive press we don’t understand why it didn’t sell.”

That’s because it’s now a 5 door pudding.

[beach bum]

Honda did what Porsche did to the Boxster. It lost all its flair.