A Honda E Type R Could Be On The Cards

Since us petrolheads are - on the whole - extremely puerile, we don’t look at the Honda e and contemplate what it might do for electric mobility, how it spearheads Honda’s EV assault or any other pertinent considerations. No - we’ve mostly been whether or not there’ll be a faster version.

The standard car is a good starting point, developing 152bhp and 232lb ft of torque from a single electric motor and a 35.5kWh battery pack. However, speaking to Top Gear, Takahiro Shinya - assistant Dynamic Performance chief for the car - confirmed that the car’s architecture, motor and tyres can handle more shove.

So does that mean there’ll be a Honda e Type R? It wasn’t ruled out by Shinya, although he did drop one comment that sounds rather like a hint. “What I can say is we love Type R, it’s such a strong halo brand for us,” he told TG, adding, “As engineers we want to make Type R of every model, but it’s whether the customer wants it that matters.”

This got us thinking - a Honda e thusly branded could be the first rear-drive Type R since the second NSX Type R, which was launched 18 years ago. As a reminder, the e’s single electric motor powers the rear axle only, and we’d be surprised if Honda went the route of fitting an extra motor at the front.

Full-electric drifts in a tiny city car? Sign us up. We just need to keep our fingers crossed that a Honda e Type R gets the green light…