Honda’s creative director Toshinobu Minami says its pure-electric Honda EV-STER concept “shows the next generation of design language” for the Japanese firm as well as “representing the excitement and thrill that we hope to deliver through future products”.
The EV-STER – a small roadster that focuses on low weight and cost – is one of three new Honda concepts have stolen the show at Tokyo, revealing a new, more range-consistent design language and a clear message that the Japanese maker is intent on making sports cars again. The other two concepts are the Honda AC-X and the Micro Commuter Concept.
Minami also went on to say that the company did want a “definitive face for Honda, which the company doesn’t currently have.” The common styling cues across all three of these concepts are a clear illustration of that new design language, particularly the sleek integrated headlight and grille unit.
See a picture of the Honda EV-STER concept
At the complete opposite end of the scale to the high-powered Super Sports coupe concept that Honda is going to unveil at Detroit, the EV-STER is intended to conform to Japanese Kei-car regulations, which means the car must be a maximum of 3400mm long and 1480mm wide and have an engine of no more than 63bhp, three cylinders and 660cc.
It is unlikely to come to Europe given that it would have to be developed to much higher crash regulations, and currently the economy also makes it difficult to keep the price as low as it would need to be.
However, Yoshikazu Kigoshi, general manager for Honda research and design, doesn’t rule it out: “I cannot say whether we would bring the EV-STER to Europe. We are intent on producing more sports cars, but we need to do more research before we can make that decision regards the EV-STER.”
In Japan the EV-STER will likely make it to production within the next two years. It will get a manual cloth hood and be offered with the choice of an electric motor or the 660cc unit that Honda uses in its other current Kei cars.
Vicky Parrott
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