By Rina Ukita / Yomiuri Shimbun Staff Writer

Honda Motor Co. has launched its new "Super-ONE," a compact electric vehicle.

The model is based on the "N-ONE e:," a kei EV model launched last year, but has an increased overall width. It features a "boost mode" function, which increases motor output, and has a driving range of 274 kilometers on a full charge.

The car costs 3,390,200 yen, including tax. However, with government subsidies, the price falls to about 2.09 million, making it roughly the same price as other kei EVs.

Although the company had only just revised its strategy for promoting EVs overseas in response to declining demand in the North American market, it still plans to expand its lineup in Japan, citing strong demand from customers who use them in their everyday lives.

In March, Honda announced that it had canceled development of three EV models scheduled for the U.S. market and said it intended to focus on hybrid vehicles.

Meanwhile, in Japan, the company anticipates growing demand for small EVs, including kei cars, to be used for grocery shopping and other everyday tasks. In 2028, Honda plans to launch an EV version of its popular "N-BOX" kei car.

Preorders for the Super-ONE have already reached about 7,000 units. In fiscal 2025, Honda sold about 11,100 EVs in Japan.

A Honda official in charge of Japan regional operations, speaking at a launch event on Thursday, said, "We will make the Japanese EV market and our customers' daily lives exciting and fun."

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This article is from The Yomiuri Shimbun. Neither Dow Jones Newswires, MarketWatch, Barron's nor The Wall Street Journal were involved in the creation of this content.

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May 25, 2026 08:19 ET (12:19 GMT)

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