Three concept vehicles for Honda at Tokyo Motor Show 2017

Honda launched no less than three new concept vehicles and unveiled the full lineup of the second generation Clarity sedan for regular production and distribution at this year’s 2017 Tokyo Motor Show.

We take a quick look at these new vehicles.

Honda NeUV

The Honda NeUV (New EV), an electric vehicle (EV) with artificial intelligence (AI), is a small vehicle that can automatically take over driving if the vehicle’s AI system senses that the driver is not in optimal condition, i.e., sleepy, sick or injured.

It then proceeds to autonomous driving to the nearest safe location.

Think Skynet on wheels.

Honda Urban EV Concept

Already slated for production, this small city commuter car has a relatively small exterior footprint but a very roomy interior while meeting and exceeding all current and future proposed crash safety regulations.

That it harks back to the first ever Civic but modernized for the 21st century only makes it more appealing and adorable.

Honda Sports EV Concept

This is new concept car focused on delivering the joy of driving in a sports car package but with an EV powertrain.

Think of it as a lightweight sportscar in the same vein as the Honda S2000 but built for the future, delivering carbon free emissions in a sexy, stylish package.

It just looks gorgeous, and the small overall footprint hints at a potential lightweight sports car that slots below the current flagship NSX hybrid sportscar.

Clarity

The second generation Clarity rides on an all-new platform specific to the lineup.

It is about 4 inches shorter than the previous model Honda Accord, making it bigger than a current Honda Civic.

The liftback rear gives it less aerodynamic drag and opens up to a tremendous room inside, with an equally cavernous trunk.

For the first time, the Clarity is available with three distinct alternative fuels powertrain: hydrogen fuel-cell, plug-in electric, and full hybrid-electric with gasoline engine.

The big news is that Honda is confident with the range. These three cars have a potential range of roughly 800 kilometers as per Japanese testing standards, and the batteries have an expected life of 15 years, although Honda will offer an 8-year warranty for the high-voltage battery units.

It weighs at around 1,800 kg but the size makes it far more liveable and practical, with versatile interiors that have the back seats opening up to swallow larger cargo.

These cars utilize a special CVT transmission that allows them to handle 170-175 hp with 300-315 Newton-meters of torque.

In fact, Honda is so confident with their EV technology that they took a stripped out Clarity and raced it at a special all-EV race in Japan, and won.

Overall, Honda wants to help reduce carbon emission while manufacturing vehicles that help people but still deliver the joy of driving.

In order to make an impact on this, Honda’s goal is to sell two-thirds of its entire production output as electric vehicles to really reduce harmful exhaust emissions by 2030.

That’s a very tall order, but one which Honda is very confident about achieving.

Aside from these new concept cars and vehicles, Honda Cars is proud to announce that from January to September of 2017, sales increased by 13 percent, delivering 580,000 vehicles to the Asia and Oceania region.

Honda is also celebrating the Super Cub motorcycle’s success with over 100 million units sold in all its derivatives since its introduction in 1958.

So, will we see these EV Hondas in the Philippines soon?