Behold, the Honda e all-electric hatchback

We now know what Honda is going to call its cute little urban EV. The Japanese automaker showed the world the Honda E Prototype a couple of months ago at the Geneva Motor Show and today Honda confirmed that when it arrives at dealers it will be called, simply, the Honda e.

Unfortunately, there are no plans to sell this adorable little hatch in the United States. The unofficial word is that Honda didn’t anticipate the car would be a viable product here given our preference for SUVs, and the concept’s strong positive reception was a surprise. As some solace, Honda confirmed that it will offer a hybrid version of the next generation of the Jazz subcompact, sold as the Fit in North America, which could make its way to America.

The Honda e will be the first vehicle built on the company’s new dedicated EV platform. Honda says that the rear-wheel-drive battery-electric e will have sporty “trademark Honda driving dynamics,” which is interesting considering that those Honda driving dynamics have typically been associated with front-wheel drive.

Honda plans to at least partially electrify all of its vehicles for the European market by 2025. When the next iteration of the subcompact Jazz/Fit arrives at the Tokyo Motor Show later this year, it will offer Honda’s Intelligent Multi-Mode Drive (i-MMD) dual-motor hybrid powertrain as an option. First offered on the midsize CR-V Hybrid, this will be the system’s first application in a compact Honda vehicle.

Honda has not yet indicated whether the i-MMD equipped Jazz/Fit will be sold outside of Europe. Honda is revamping its assembly plant in Marysville, Ohio in preparation for hybrid production, but the U.S.-market Fit is currently assembled in Mexico.

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