Introduced in 1965, the S600 is the first Honda to be offered in two trim levels. The Sports EV Concept, meanwhile, borrows some of the styling cues of the 1960s fastback sports car, blending it with the automaker’s next-gen design language.
If the headlights and taillights are akin to the Urban EV Concept, that’s because the two one-offs are extremely similar. First of all, both share the same platform, though Honda refused to confirm if the Sports EV is rear-wheel-drive as it ought to be. Another detail Honda “forgot” to confirm about the two-seat sports car is if mass production is considered in a few years’ time.
Something the Sports EV Concept doesn’t do right is technology, with the Japanese automaker making a case for artificial intelligence. Why would you need such a thing in a sports car? According to Honda, that’s “to realize the joy of driving the user can feel with a sense of unity with the car,” which doesn’t actually make sense whichever way you try to read between the lines.
As if that wasn’t enough, Honda takes another misstep by keeping the interior a mystery despite the fact the Sports EV Concept has been revealed. Don’t, however, expect the minimalist cabin you might find in the Mazda MX-5 Miata or sports cars from Honda’s past such as the rev-happy S2000. A clue in this direction comes in the guise of side-mounted cameras that replace conventional side mirrors, which should work in tandem with two screens.
To be frank, don’t keep your hopes up for an interior too different from that of the Urban EV Concept. But all in all, it’s the exterior design that makes the Sports EV Concept unique. Or as Honda puts it, an “unforgettable styling” that “naturally blends in with any lifestyle, and rich and supple surfaces bring happiness and even a fondness in ownership.” Uhm, right, what they said.
After a 1:43 scale model of a Ferrari 250 GTO sparked Mircea's interest for cars when he was a kid, an early internship at Top Gear sealed his career path. He's most interested in muscle cars and American trucks, but he takes a passing interest in quirky kei cars as well. Full profile
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