The Japanese automaker confirmed to Electrive magazine that sales of the model in Europe have been discontinued and will not resume. The Honda e hatchback has already been removed from all regional websites. The five-door car lasted only three years on the main market, and the ten thousand sales target was never fulfilled. In the first year, they managed to sell about 4,000 cars, but in ten months of 2023, dealers sold only 566 units.
The automaker came to terms with the failure of the Honda e a long time ago, because a successor to the hatchback was not even developed. European journalists believe that the reasons for weak demand are a combination of high prices (from 40 thousand euros) and outstanding technical characteristics. The power reserve was only 222 kilometers, and the dynamics (0-100 in 8.3 seconds) were not impressive.
Before the start of sales, buyers left more than 40 thousand pre-orders, but as orders were fulfilled, enthusiasm waned: the 3.9-meter hatchback with a simple chassis and slow charging could not compete with more functional and practical European models and Tesla. After the cessation of sales of the Honda e, the automaker will have only one electric car in its European lineup.
However, the Honda e:NY1 electric crossover also does not pretend to be a bestseller: low ground clearance, uncontested single-wheel drive and a high price (from 47 thousand euros!) do not attract buyers. So far, Honda does not have competitive electric vehicles in Europe, and the promising market segment is shared by others.
Forgotten heroes: hot hatchbacks that didn’t become iconic
