The Retro Cool

THIS HONDA CONCEPT LOOKS STRAIGHT OUT OF THE ’70s, AND WE’RE DANCING IN THE MOONLIGHT.

- Dan Carney

IT’S LIKE WHAT THE YOUNGER VERSION of your Dad would drive... on Mars. No, it’s not your imagination: Honda’s new pure-electric Urban EV Concept, which debuted at the Frankfurt Motor Show, looks like a cross between a late ’70s Civic and an original Volkswagen Rabbit (or the Golf, as many countries know it).

Great cars have always served as prime inspiration for automobile designers, so this concept is no exception. The Urban EV is also a preview of Honda’s planned 2019 production electric car. “This is not some vision of the distant future; a production version of this car will be here in 2019,” says Honda Motor Co. President and CEO, Takahiro Hachigo.