The Honda e has just seen its price increase by 810 € per 1er october. Over the years, Honda’s first electric city car has gone from an unattractive price to a downright dissuasive price. Yet she had almost everything to hit.
When it was launched, this electric city car from Honda thrilled us. With its original look and futuristic interior, the Honda e stood out in the landscape of electric cars. However, there are two elements that quickly slowed down its growth: limited autonomy and an entry ticket of 35,000 euros, too high at that time compared to other city cars. Honda has just communicated the new prices for its range on October 1, 2022, we discover that the Honda e undergoes a new increase of 810 €, the second in 1 year and the largest since its launch.
All new vehicles are currently experiencing price increases. What changes the game for the Honda e is that the most entry-level version has disappeared from the catalog. When we look at the number of registrations for 2022 for this model, we discover that only 135 Honda e were delivered over the first 9 months of the year.
Who to buy an electric city car at €41,270?
Even Mini, which nevertheless targets a premium clientele, does not dare to display such a starting price, since its electric Mini is available from €35,700. It will of course be necessary to add a few options, which will inflate the bill, but we are still on a more reasonable starting price. If we can still consider more than 35,000 € as reasonable for a city car.
There is the Fiat 500 in its convertible version, with the highest finish and the largest battery, which comes close with €40,900. Except that the performance, the range of 320 km and the driving pleasure are superior to what the Honda e offers.
The entry-level engine, which has been removed, was priced between €36,000 and €37,000 (before bonuses), or around €5,000 less than the second version called advance. The Honda e now finds itself in direct competition with several city cars, compact sedans, and even some SUVs. A price battle that is lost in advance for the Japanese in France.
It may be cute, original, at the cutting edge of technology and be quite lively on the road with its 154 hp, it only has a range of 200 km wltp for a 28.5 kWh battery. Even for a city car, this remains a brake on the purchase, especially associated with the price of 41,270 € (before bonus)
4 registrations in September in France, is this the beginning of the end for the Honda e?
For the month of September, the Honda e is flirting with the bottom of the ranking of electric vehicle registrations with only 4 registered cars. If we look at the first 9 months, this represents an average of 15 vehicles per month. It’s 135 Honda e in total over this period, which does not raise the level much.
In this tail of classification, it is essentially surrounded by a few electric utilities sold to individuals: Mercedes EQV, Fiat Ulysse, Toyota Pro-Ace, Peugeot Partner, Opel Zafira and Mercedes E-Vito. There will also be a Jaguar i-Pace and a Lexus UX300e.
There is nothing very reassuring for the future of this small electric in France. Launched at the end of 2019, it is however a little early to bow out, especially since Honda e does not have other 100% electric vehicles to offer before 2023. The brand has mainly focused on new generation hybrid engines and seems dragging your feet on 100% electric.
However, the manufacturer would have every interest in thinking about an update of its model, offering it more autonomy. With such a price, it will be difficult to find customers for this model, despite all the on-board technology and the willingness of Honda teams to sell it.
While city cars occupy the top of the French sales rankings, it is a pity that Honda missed the boat with its first electric. A bit like the Nissan Ariya or even Mazda’s MX30, Japanese manufacturers seem to have a problem with the strategic positioning of their electric models on the European market. Such a waste !