Honda Sports EV is a two seat electric coupe of the future

Honda Sports EV is a two seat electric coupe of the future



Say hello to Honda's vision for the sports car of the future. And we're talking about the near future - not decades away.



It's called the Sports EV and was revealed this week at the 2017 Tokyo Motor Show.



The pure-electric two-seat sports car outlines the Japanese brand's commitment to building potent performance models that produce zero emissions, with retro styling that's reminiscent of one Bond car in particular - the legendary Toyota 2000 GT.





Think of it as the middle ground between the rampaging Civic Type R hot hatch and Honda's NSX supercar, plugging a gap left by the fairly unpopular - in Europe anyway - CR-Z hybrid and the more cherished S2000 that went out of production in 2009.



The concept is a continuation of Honda's future design philosophy that was first introduced last month at the Frankfurt Motor Show in the shape of the Urban EV concept - a compact electric city car that the manufacturer has confirmed for producing in two year's time.



Based on looks alone, we hope the Sports EV gets the same 'we're going to make it' stamp of approval from the Japanese brand.



Like the smaller electric concept car revealed before it, it features lovable retro styling cues, most notably the round headlights, square tail lights and staunch flared wheel arches.



The bonnet section has been elongated while the sleek roofline is more reminiscent of a howling Mercedes AMG-GT than a hushed Jazz supermini.



While Honda won't want to admit it, there are definite similarities to sports cars of the past built by some of its biggest competitors.



There's certainly a hint of Datsun 240Z and 260Z about the silhouette, and James Bond might mistake it for a modern take on the Toyota 2000GT that he drove in the in 1967 film You Only Live Twice.



The Sports EV sits on the same platform that underpins the Urban EV, meaning a darty chassis with a short wheelbase, ideal for rapid changes of direction.



And although Honda has given away nothing about the drivetrain, expect a boost in kilowatts that will send power to the rear wheels only - all the ingredients that should make it a hoot to drive.



Being a concept car, there are the token bold claims that remind you it is a model very much for the future: according to Honda, this model will feature Artificial Intelligence if it does make it to the assembly line.



Speaking at the unveiling of the car in Toyko, Honda CEO Takahiro Hachigo said: 'Honda has been developing products that will lead to the creation of a carbon free society.



'We will create products which will enhance convenience for the customer. This new Sports EV is a new proposal form Honda, developed to show the joy of driving in an electric car.'



While there might be no guarantee that the Sports EV will make it to production as yet, Honda's commitment to building the Urban EV in 2019 and extended plans for two in three cars it makes being electric by 2030, there's plenty of reason to get excited about an all-electric Honda coupe.



Honda says the the Urban EV will have a range of 150 miles, though we'd expect this sportier model - which the Japanese car maker won't expect owners to be using primarily in town - to be able to cover longer distances than that between charges.