Images of Honda’s N-One city car have surfaced in a Japanese showroom brochure, suggesting the car is headed for production — in the land of the rising sun at least.
Based on the N Concept 4 unveiled at the 2011 Tokyo Motor Show, the N-One is a small, four-seater runaround whose cutesy looks put it in direct competition with the Fiat 500 and the forthcoming Vauxhall Adam.
Aesthetically, the N-One draws its inspiration from Honda’s kei cars of yesteryear — a category of small vehicles that includes the Mini-like N360. It has a cute, bug-eyed, butter wouldn’t melt look and will come in a host of bright colours that will brighten up your commute. With the rear-mounted roof aerial eagerly wagging away as you drive along, the N-One has a certain puppy-like charm.
There are plenty of clever design flourishes about the N-One including fancy LED head and tail lights, a decorative chrome strip on the tailgate and a retro-modern interior that looks like nothing we’ve seen on the market to date. The beige dashboard colour choice shown in the brochure isn’t particularly inspiring, so here’s hoping Honda will offer a choice of colour schemes.
The Honda N-One is expected to draw power from a 660cc three-cylinder engine paired with a CVT automatic transmission, so fuel economy is prioritised over performance. Speed demons will be pleased to hear the company is also expected to offer a turbo version that should help ensure you reach the speed limit sometime before you grow old.
Oddly, the N-One will come in front- or all-wheel drive, although we don’t expect Honda intends them to be driven any further off road than the curb.
We find it hard not to like the N-One, though we’ll try not to get too attached as we doubt Honda will be bringing it to the UK anytime soon. If you live in Japan, however, the cutesy Honda will go on sale in the Autumn for an as yet disclosed sum.
Image and source: CarScoop
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