By TAKUMI WAKAI/ Staff Writer
December 14, 2023 at 17:55 JST
Production of the Honda e vehicle will end in January 2024. (Provided by Honda Motor Co.)
Production of Hondo Motor Co.’s first mass-produced electric vehicle, the Honda e, will end in January, the company announced.
Sales will cease as soon as inventories are exhausted, it said.
Honda e sales have been sluggish after losing its competitive edge amid the intensifying EV market battle.
It is a compact 4-seat EV that launched in Europe in September 2020 and in Japan in October 2020.
The company aimed to capture demand for a “second vehicle,” but sales were slow due to the subsequent introduction of cheaper EVs with longer cruising ranges from other manufacturers.
While the initial annual sales plan was 10,000 units in Europe and 1,000 units in Japan, the cumulative global sales volume for approximately three years was 11,987 units.
Some people within the company say the product was originally developed to comply with increasingly strict environmental regulations in Europe, that it was never intended to be sold in large numbers and that its role has been fulfilled.
The knowledge gained from the Honda e will be used for future EV development and sales, the automaker said.
Honda plans to shift all new car sales to EVs and fuel cell vehicles (FCVs) by 2040, with the transition to EVs to begin in earnest in 2024.
In Japan, the company plans to introduce four models by 2026, starting with a commercial mini EV to be launched next spring.
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