Honda e Makes Japanese Car History By Winning German Car Of The Year

What a topsy turvy world we live in, but there's no better car to lead the way to the future of automobiles than the compact Honda e.

Just a couple of days ago we reported that the all-new Peugeot 208 had taken a category award at the Japan Car of the Year. Well, more recent news is that the Honda e - yes, that amazing compact electric vehicle that set the internet on fire when it was first revealed in concept form - has taken the German Car of the Year award. Yes, not just a category award (it took one for New Energy), but the overall winner.

Do you know how difficult that is to pull off, and for Honda's first mass-production battery electric vehicle no less? On top of all that, it is the first Japanese car to ever have taken the prestigious title, and one that is so radically different that it may just shape the way Hondas are developed in the coming years. 

At its core, the Honda e is not a performance car. It doesn't have the muscle of a Mercedes-AMG model or the sheer luxury of a Bentley. It is humble, an urban commuter developed and designed in response to environmental issues in a city context. Also rather special is the fact that it's rear-wheel drive - something we haven't seen Honda do in over a decade.

Media awards and accolades have been heaped onto the Honda e from the moment it launched, and it is part of Honda's plan to electrify their entire mainstream European model range by 2022. Let's hope that we'll be able to see it in our market as well at some point - or perhaps something more designed for ASEAN tastes and sensibilities. 

With a range of up to 220 km from a single charge, the Honda e has 136 PS or 154 PS (depending on variant) and 315 Nm of torque from pretty much a standstill. It's a fantastic proposition - and as my colleague explored in this piece, it would be perfect for the urban jungle.