Honda debuts new design language with e:N2 concept
Details are thin on the ground, but Honda appears to be heading in a new direction with its electric cars, or at least for the Chinese market
Honda has revealed a new EV concept dubbed e:N2 during a Chinese industry forum held over the weekend. The carmaker says it is an indication of how future EV models will look in coming years and debuts a markedly different design language to the recently unveiled Prologue electric SUV, which only in October was described as a marker for Honda’s formal “transition to electrification.”
The most apparent change is the new light signature, with ‘dual-blade’ style headlights that form an arrowhead around the front wheel arch and run across the width of the bonnet. A ridged lower splitter can be seen in the teaser artwork, with a prominent backlit Honda badge above it on the nose. That light signature is replicated at the back, with thin light bars running down each side of the rear mask and again looping over the rear wheel arch. From side profile, those lights bleed into a high shoulder line, which tapers upwards at the C-pillar.
The bodywork itself is more angular and sharply creased than we have come to expect, not quite as ‘origami’ as some brands, but a clear shift away from the rounded bodywork of recently refreshed models like the HR-V, Civic Type-R and indeed the Prologue. Honda describes the look as being “sharp and dynamic” with surface finishing that “highlights the metallic look, aiming to present new styling that does not belong to any existing categories.”
The e:N2 concept follows production models under the same prefix, with the e:NS1 and eNP1 electric SUVs revealed back in October 2021 (and now in production through its joint venture partners Dongfeng and GAC respectively.) While both of these models bear close resemblance to the current HR-V and Prologue, the e:N2 is significantly sharper and appears to carry more of a coupe-SUV silhouette.
A promotional video shared during the China International Import Expo in Shanghai reveals a pared-back interior that is said to be designed as a living space. It takes minimalism to new levels, and makes the clinical interior of the Tesla Model 3 look positively tech-heavy by comparison.
A “clean and uncluttered” digital cockpit along with carefully considered lighting and scents have been employed to this effect, Honda says. Virtually all information appears to be shared via a heads-up display (HUD), including navigation, speed and the status of driver assistance systems.
Clarity may be needed as to where Honda design is headed, with the Prologue supposedly showing one future direction, and the e:N2 showing another. The latest concept is certainly pleasing on the eye and although it is a familiar crossover-type bodyshape, the exterior lighting has been deployed to great effect, highlighting its angular bodywork and, as Honda intends, showcasing a distinct new design language.
Honda ultimately plans to launch ten e:N Series models in China by 2027, while in North America the intention is to sell only fully electric cars by 2040.