Honda Super-N City Car Arrives in July

Honda returns to the small car segment with the brilliant Super-N city car.

Having recently been in the headlines for the wrong reasons, from a multi-billion dollar write down of its EV program, axing the outlandishly styled Honda 0 Series project and terminating its AFEELA joint venture with Sony a week after opening their new headquarters, Honda is back (already) and has returned with a small, low cost city car, representing a Super-smart move for Honda.

Manufacturers have been scaling back their city cars with Vauxhall, Ford, Stellantis (excluding the Fiat 500) and others that no longer offer a small, compact city car and yet it’s an incredibly important market for affordable mobility.
In fact, it’s so important that the EU is encouraging manufacturers via its Small Affordable Cars Initiative to return to this segment that they deserted in favour of SUVs. Honda could not have timed this move better.

Based on Kei car dimensions of being 3.4 meters in length, the Super-N doesn’t quite qualify for Kei car status as Honda has flared out the wheel arches beyond Kei limits for a more aggressive, purposeful stance.
Not only does it look good, but it stands out from the crowd in the U.K. as being different, fun and some may say cheeky, too.

Honda intends this to be purely a city car, or inexpensive runaround, so customers shouldn’t expect an enormous range. Even so, the little Honda delivers up to 199 miles of city street driving, or 128 miles of mixed driving, but it has added some cheeky features.

For a start, the Super-N is inspiration from the legendary 1980’s City Turbo II, as seen in some of the pictures above. And in true spirit of its 80’s icon, Honda states that its new car comes with “a seven-speed simulated transmission, plus an evocative simulated engine note via Active Sound Control”.

But Honda wants the Super-N to be full of thrills, so it as added ‘BOOST Mode’, which increases the power output from its e-Axle from 47kW (64 hp) to 70kW (95 hp) for engaging its full performance potential. It means it maximises effiency for the normal city streets, but allows for some fun when it escapes the city boundaries.

It may not sound like much power, but this is the lightest EV in Europe at approximately 1090 kg. With a low centre of gravity thanks to the battery pack being mounted low in the car and the instant power and torque that’s associated to EVs, the Super-N will feel much quicker.
Although no official performance figures are released yet, estimates peg it at doing 0-60 mph in around 8.3 seconds thanks to Auto Express testing a prototype last year.

And with uprated suspension and chassis Honda wants to bring the fun factor into the compact EV segment.

But it’s not all down to thrills because inside the car is just as important as looks and dynamics.
For those who like a nice touchscreen and buttons, Customers will not be disappointed with the Super-N as it has the right blend of both, with physical buttons on the steering wheel and HVAC controls via a buttony unit below the central screen.

Inside, it features enhanced seats for greater support and comfort, but around the cabin are some distinctive blue highlights that nods to the original City Turbo II.
However, for that mico-luxury feel, ambient lighting from the dashboard provides a cool blue light at night, or a purple when BOOST Mode is selected.

Honda will make wide range of exterior colours and customisation options available to add an element of personalisation, making a two-tone option with a contrasting gloss roof and rear spoiler, plus a range of distinctive body graphics, too.

Whilst Honda has yet to reveal prices, it expects to sell the Super-N for less than £20,000 when it goes on sale in June this year.

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About the Author

Graeme Cobb is a lifelong car enthusiast with a passion for writing about cars, EVs, industry updates and more.

You can find Graeme on 𝕏 at @graeme_cobb or YouTube @REV-EV.