Honda Super-One Prototype Is A Pint-Sized Electric Hot Hatch That Will Actually Go Into Production

If you're an online car circlejerker, then you probably love tiny cars. If you're an extremely online car circlejerker, you love tiny, sporty cars. If that sounds like you, I've got some really good news to share... sort of. Honda just pulled the cover off its adorable yet mean-looking Super-One Prototype compact electric vehicle at the Japan Mobility Show, and even though Honda says it's going into production, there's a pretty much zero chance it ever makes it to our shores. Still, it's fun to look, no, and hell, maybe you live somewhere where it will be sold.

Teased in camouflaged form at the Goodwood Festival of Speed earlier this year, the Super-One is built on the electric Honda N Series platform, and its mission statement is to transform everyday driving into an exciting experience, not uncommon to the hot hatchbacks that came before it. This one is just tinier and electrified. The Super-One is all about the "joy of driving," according to Honda, and if there's one thing Honda does exceedingly well, it's make little cars that are incredibly rewarding to drive.

On the outside, fender flares allow for a widened track and fatter rubber for increased cornering stability (or so I'm told, I obviously haven't driven this thing). Honda engineers also added aerodynamic touches like front and rear air ducts to help with air flow and allow for more efficient cooling. The car also gets a whole bunch of blacked-out trim pieces, unique four-spoke wheels, and a slew of other exterior changes that help set it apart from a regular-degular N-One. There's nothing about the Super-One that looks terribly concept-ish. If you told me this was a full-on production car, I'd believe you, and that's because in typical Honda "prototype" fashion, it's probably extremely close to the one that'll actually hit the streets soon.

You can rest assured Honda didn't just slap a body kid on its little electric hatachback and call it a day. The big news here is a function Honda calls "Boost Mode," which it designed specifically for the Super-One Protoype. It'll increase the car's power output (though Honda doesn't actually say how much power it creates) while syncing up its simulated 7-speed transmission and Active Sound Control system to give you the feeling you're actually shifting gears in a gas-powered vehicle. It's a trick that's becoming more and more common. We've already seen it on EVs like the Hyundai Ioniq 5 N and Lexus RZ 550e F-Sport, as well as Honda's new hybrid Prelude. The whole package is meant to uplift the driver, according to Honda. The car is actually functional, too. Honda say it has tested the prototype all over Japan, the United Kingdom and other countries across Asia to get it dialed in just right.

Honda also decided to get creative with the Super-One Prototype's interior, giving it some heavily bolstered front seats with a splash of blue to break up the otherwise grey surfaces. Their shape sort of gives a 1980s retro throwback aesthetic to the Recaros you'd see in that period. I certainly dig them.

The rest of the tiny interior doesn't see too much of a change compared to a standard N-One; perhaps the real car will see some more sizable differences, but for now, the Super-One's layout and dashboard are typical Honda fare. There's really nothing wrong with that. Honda knows how to make a great, uncomplicated interior. It fits in well with the no-nonsense attitude this little guy is giving.

As I mentioned earlier, Honda actually does plan to put this car into production. In Japan and the rest of Asia, it's going to be called the Super-One, but in the UK, it'll be called the Super-N. No matter what it's called, though, Honda says production is scheduled to start sometime in 2026, though we don't know exactly when or how much it'll cost. In any case, it really looks to be a fabulous little electric hot hatch in a world that seems to be moving away from all things small and electric. Hopefully, more things like this catch on, and — for the love of God — come to the U.S. so our circlejerk can continue.