New Car: 2013 Honda N-One

Here’s a cute new one, the Honda N-One that has just gone on sale in Japan. The N-One is a five-door hatchback kei-car and is the third member of the new N Series mini-vehicle family, following the N Box and N Box +.

Doesn’t take an expert to note that the N-One is inspired by the Honda N360 of 1967, the first mass-produced Honda mini passenger car. The N-One sees Honda go back to its M/M (man maximum, machine minimum) concept, the starting point of Honda automobile design. They’ve shown something like this before, check out the EV-N Concept from Tokyo 2009.

The N-One is powered by a 660 cc DOHC engine, which can be had in naturally aspirated or turbo forms. Honda says that the NA engine achieve fuel economy that is 20% higher than the 2015 fuel economy standard, while the turbo does 10% better. The headline FC figure is 27 km/l in the JC08 mode. This is achieved with a CVT gearbox – no manual transmission is available for the N-One.

As with most cars in Japan, buyers can choose from FWD or 4WD. Honda says that the turbo engine has performance equivalent to a 1.3 litre engine. No performance figures were given, though.

The N-One, which comfortably accommodates four adults according to Honda, is said to have “stable driving performance and excellent quietness” thanks to a lightweight and highly-rigid body plus exclusively-developed suspension. Safety wise, the N-One comes with Emergency Stop Signal (blinks hazard lamps during sudden braking), VSA, Hill Start Assist and side curtain airbags.

There are 11 colours and five two-tone combinations for the N-One. Cute, no? To view the original Honda N360 alongside its classic siblings, check out our gallery post from the Honda Collection Hall, Twin Ring Motegi.

Thanks to: Paultan