This is the Honda Super-N Prototype, a new compact electric vehicle (EV) which the Japanese manufacturer has launched on its own turf at the Japan Mobility Show, following on from its debut at the 2025 Goodwood Festival of Speed. It's due to go on sale in 2026.
Why do I feel like the Super-N's shape is hauntingly familiar?
Well, if you know your Honda history, or indeed if you're a regular player of the Gran Turismo series of racing sims on the PlayStation, then you might be aware of a car known as the Honda City.
The affordable City was built in the early- to mid-1980s and it's clear that the oldster informs the Honda Super-N's styling. This is evident in its round headlamps, upright and oblong rear light clusters and the slab-sided yet curiously appealing nature of the Super-N's flanks.
Enough history - can you tell me more about the new Honda?
Sure thing. The Super-N Prototype is built on the manufacturer's light N-Series 'Kei' car chassis, which is sold in Japan.
Kei cars have to conform to a number of set specifications, which mean a maximum length of 3.4 metres, width of 1.48 metres and height of less than two metres, while the engine cannot displace any more than 660cc (not a problem for an EV like the Super-N, mind) or develop more than 64hp. This will likely mean the electric motor in the Super-N is limited to 47kW, tops.
Honda would like to draw your eye to the wide stance of the Super-N, despite its diminutive form, and also the blistered bumpers plus sizeable aero ducts.
Inside, the same sporty aesthetic is upheld by the sculpted seats, which have an asymmetrical blue-stripe pattern on them.
Ahead of the front-seat occupants is a clean fascia with a strong horizontal theme. Honda says the style, inside and out, is all designed to 'create anticipation for the dynamic, agile and responsive handling available'.
Do we know anything about the specs of the Super-N at this stage?
No, Honda hasn't stated anything about battery size, range or performance, although we'd expect the Super-N to surpass the company's last small EV - the Honda e, a car whose success was always limited by its tiny 35.5kWh battery giving it a range of just 222km.
However, Honda has confirmed there is a 'Boost' mode in the Super-N. This temporarily increases the vehicle's output to maximise performance, but it also brings into play one of those 'simulated gears' features that are becoming all the rage in some of the more interesting EVs of today.
In essence, the Honda can mimic changing gears in a traditional multi-cog transmission (which it doesn't have) and it employs synthesised engine sounds, interior displays and co-ordinated lighting sequences to match, all aiming to bring more driving engagement to what is, at the end of the day, a zero-emission city runaround designed to take on the likes of the Hyundai Inster.
And when will the Super-N arrive here?
It's not actually confirmed for Ireland. In fact, it's not confirmed for any European market other than the UK at this stage but let us offer you some hope. The Super-N's success, or otherwise, over the water will be used by Honda to gauge the European appetite for small EVs.
So, let's hope it takes off in the UK, as that will give us a stronger case to argue for its inclusion in Honda Ireland's price lists at some point either later in 2026, or into 2027.