Updated: Honda e ruled out for Australia

UPDATE: Honda has since confirmed that it has no intentions to sell the Honda e in Australia now. Addressing Australian media at the 2019 Tokyo Motor Show, Honda CEO Takahiro Hachigo didn't specify why it wouldn't be offered, but we would imagine that its high price and lack of EV infrastructure in Australia led to its downfall.

"Honda e is just for Japan and Europe,” he said. “There are no plans unfortunately for Australia now.”

Honda has taken the wraps off the mass production version its Honda e electric city car in Frankfurt, announcing pricing for Germany but stopping short of providing pricing for anywhere else.

The first electric-only car to come from the Japanese manufacturer, the Honda e will launch in European countries from autumn/winter 2020, priced from 29,470 euros ($47,473 AUD).

But that doesn’t seem to help us in Australia very much.

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Despite aiming for 25 percent of its range to be electrified (either hybrid or battery electric) by 2025, Honda Australia hasn’t yet committed to the Honda e.

“While we have no concrete plans yet we are looking into what is possible for Honda in Australia in this space, as the future technology available in the global Honda network is really exciting,” said Honda Australia Director, Stephen Collins.

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“When the right product is available and the business case stacks up, we will be very excited to launch into the new era of electrification.”

How long it takes Honda to decide whether the business case is there is unknown, but we have previously heard that the company wants to see a keener uptake in EVs, as well as more government support before it begins to fully embrace electrification in Australia.

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Back in Europe, the Honda e will be offered with two power outputs, a 100kW base version and an upper-spec 113kW 'Advance' model which will likely bring extra goodies in addition to the power bump.

The 35.5kWh battery is said to return a range of up to 220km from a single charge according to Honda, which compares against Volkswagen’s ID3 hatchback's 330km from its 45kWh battery.

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Hopefully, we will eventually see the Honda e electric hatchback Down Under. We’ve contacted Honda Australia to get a clearer outlook on its viability and we’ll update this story if more information unfolds.

Keep abreast of the 2019 Frankfurt Show right here