Honda’s Tiny Hot Hatch Doubles Down on One of the Car Industry’s Most Controversial Trends

With the push of a button, the Big Red’s Super-One prototype will have you believe that you’re driving a combustion car rather than an EV.

Front view of a silver Honda car with black roof and round LED headlights against a yellow background.

Add Gear Patrol as a Preferred Source on Google

By Gray Van Dyke

Published 3 hours ago

·

If you buy from a link, we may earn a commission. Learn more

Over the summer, Honda unveiled its first all-electric kei car in the form of the N-One e. With 155 miles of driving range and bi-directional charging capabilities, the compact boasted big practicality despite its diminutive footprint.

Of course, as an affordable commuter car, the N-One e wasn’t exactly designed with enthusiasts in mind. For all of their appeal as daily drivers, small EVs are often more appliance-like than they are encouraging of thrills.

Compact gray Honda Super-ONE prototype car with black roof and sporty black alloy wheels on a white background. — The Super-One will be to the N-One e what the GTI is to the Golf.

But that’s all set to change once Honda’s latest prototype — unveiled at this year’s Japan Mobility Show — finally hits production.

Simulated enthusiast appeal

It’s called the ‘Super-One’ and it’s essentially a hot hatch version of Honda’s N-One e electric kei car. The Big Red brought a camo-clad version to Goodwood earlier this year to race the Hill at the Festival of Speed, and now a functional prototype has finally broken cover.

Interior of a Honda car featuring a black and blue fabric seats, digital dashboard, and touchscreen display above the center console. — While there’s no manual transmission, Honda’s ‘Boost Mode’ should make for plenty of thrill all the same.

According to Honda, it’s “designed to transform everyday mobility into an exciting and uplifting experience.” While the brand is keeping quiet about the powertrain specs for now, it has at least detailed a model-specific ‘Boost Mode.’

As the name suggests, it unleashes full output for a brief bout of power and acceleration. Moreover, Honda has designed it such that it dials up the sensory inputs.

In practice, this means that the Super-One incorporates several tricks to mimic some of the realities of driving an internal combustion car. So, along with adopting one of the car industry’s most controversial trends in ‘Active Sound Control’ (artificial engine noise), this also means that it simulates the shifts of a seven-speed automatic transmission.

Compact silver Honda Super-ONE prototype car with black roof and tinted rear windows, shown from rear side. — The Super-One combines Active Sound Control with simulated shifts for a more realistic ICE experience.

That’s not all. Honda’s Super-One even allows for customization of specific settings for features such as the triple-gauge cluster and the interior illumination color, adding to the overall immersiveness of the Boost Mode experience.

The best of both worlds

Simulated engine noise first started appearing on cars as a means to augment the natural combustion notes of a vehicle inside the cabin without the exhaust needlessly droning on to the rest of the world.

Two-tone car seats in gray, blue, and white fabric inside a vehicle cabin with a black steering wheel and dashboard. — Even if it’s a bit of a gimmick, sound control does make for a pretty good compromise for everyone involved.

In theory, at least, it made for an ideal solution, as companies like BMW and Ford have used the technology to amplify some of the best sounds of their performance cars for those who will enjoy them the most (those being, of course, the occupants).

However, a car’s engine noise is an expression of its character and its soul. Accordingly, as companies have increasingly implemented technology (rather than, say, acoustic channels) to modify and amplify their cars’ sound signatures, active sound control has proven to be much more divisive of a concept

Even still, Honda’s Boost Mode, like Hyundai’s N Grin Boost in the Ioniq 5 N, is a feature that makes sense in a car that’s catering to both commuters and enthusiasts.

Compact silver Honda Super-ONE prototype car with black roof and sporty wheels on a plain background. — With its ‘Boost Mode,’ the Super-One caters to commuters and (responsible) enthusiasts alike.

After all, while take rates for the manual transmission may continually be on the decline, there are still plenty of drivers who want to be involved behind the wheel. Be it buttons on consoles or shifts in the transmission, a car’s tactile sensations are an integral part of the experience.

For these reasons, Honda’s Super-One should make for a unique value proposition. With the push of a button, the EV can transform from a humble commuter into something with at least simulated enthusiast appeal.

White compact Honda Super-ONE prototype car with black roof and sporty black alloy wheels on a circular platform. — This tiny EV is bound for production.

Production is imminent

Honda will be launching the production model based on the Super-ONE Prototype in Japan starting in 2026. From there, the automaker will expand its release to “other regions with strong demand for compact EVs, such as the U.K. and various Asian countries.”

Honda Super-One Prototype

Learn More

About the Author: Gray is an associate editor at Gear Patrol, covering cars, motorcycles and anything else with wheels. When he’s not chasing the latest industry news, he’s probably wrenching on one of many projects. For better or worse, he believes classics make perfectly practical daily drivers.

Want to stay up to date on the latest product news and releases? Add Gear Patrol as a preferred source to ensure our independent journalism makes it to the top of your Google search results.