The Honda e:NS1 has been revealed ahead of its official debut set to take place in a few hours’ time, with images of the new model being sighted by CarNewsChina on China’s ministry of industry and information technology.
The e:NS1 is essentially an all-electric version of the third-generation HR-V and was previously previewed by the SUV e:prototype back in April. At the time, Honda said the upcoming electric vehicle will go on sale in China in spring 2022 and that it will introduce 10 Honda-brand EV models within five years in the country, with the e:NS1 being the first of the bunch.
A product of the Dongfeng Honda joint venture, the e:NS1 is apparently named after the company’s NS-1 sport bike from the 1990s. For now, it’s assumed that the model will exclusive to China, although it isn’t known if alternate versions will make its way to other markets.
Design-wise, the EV looks very similar to the latest HR-V, with a few notable differences to signify its zero-emissions powertrain. For starters, the front grille is largely closed off and there’s a charging door with the Honda logo on it. Meanwhile, the bottom portion of the bumper gets vertical trim in black to bookend the lower intake and LED fog lamps.
As for the rear, the HR-V’s linked taillight setup appears to be carried over wholesale, but instead of a Honda badge on the light bar, there’s just a script on the tailgate. Interestingly, the font looks similar to that on the Honda e, albeit spaced out further than normal.
The report says that the e:NS1 will be powered by a single electric motor mounted on the front axle, providing 182 hp on the base variant and 201 hp for the range-topping option. This is mated to a ternary lithium-ion battery pack of an unknown energy capacity, providing a yet-to-be-revealed range. We’ll know more when the model makes its full debut in under 10 hours.
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That front logo placement tho…
Rear design similar to Porsche Macan
no. more similar to new cayenne.