With its pin-sharp handling and low centre of gravity, the MINI Cooper 3-Door is possibly the world’s most engaging hatchback to drive.
But Honda is readying an electric car that seems more fun-to-drive than even the MINI. It’s called the Super-ONE – unveiled at the Japan Mobility Show 2025 – and we drove the prototype version in Japan.
The design
Like the MINI, the Super-ONE has a charmingly-boxy, wide-stance, hot-hatch design. But it’s far smaller (almost 3.4 metres in length), and because it has a heavy battery under the floor, the centre of gravity is far lower than possibly any hatchback in the world.
Although Honda hasn’t shared its technical specifications, we believe it will get a version of the 29.6-kWh battery with a range of around 300 km, already fitted on the Honda N-One e car that’s on sale in Japan.
The drive
It’s unlike any electric car. First, it’s got sound, sensory sound – obviously coming from speakers fitted in the cabin. As soon as you accelerate, the car’s speakers produce engine sound that increases and decreases with the accelerator and brake inputs – to the car’s occupants, it sounds like it’s coming from a supercharged engine, but to outsiders, there’s no sound.
Boost mode with simulated gearbox: This is a cool feature – unlike most electric cars that accelerate uniformly without any lag, the Super-ONE has a simulated gearbox (like a 7-speed gearbox). As you accelerate, it gives you the feeling that the car is changing gears (it even simulates the jolt feeling between two gears). It’s something petrolheads might fall in love with.
This feature is similar to Hyundai’s N e-shift in the Ioniq 5 N, which simulates the eight-speed dual-clutch transmission of petrol N cars, but the Ioniq 5 N is a far bigger car.
The handling
Because of its wide-body design, the Super-ONE drives like a go-kart – and even though from some angles it looks like having a tall-boy design, there is absolutely no body roll even while taking sharp turns at decent speeds.
The need for India
The Super-ONE will be launched globally in 2026, but while Honda hasn’t made any announcements on India launch plans, we believe it’s a perfect car for the subcontinent, for the following reasons:
Boosting brand value: The market share of Honda Cars India has been dropping, and it has discontinued many models. A quirky and highly-advanced electric car like the Super-ONE could act as a halo product to re-energise Honda’s youthful and innovative image, and make buyers in the 20-40 age-group turn to Honda showrooms.
Halo product: As we’ve seen with the Skoda Octavia RS, which despite costing more than Rs 50 lakh got 350 bookings and 100 units sold out in minutes, and which has boosted the brand value of Skoda, the Super-ONE can be an imported and important halo product for Honda.
Affordable EV: In case Honda decides to make it in India at some point, it will be perfect for Indian cities because of its compact dimensions, and a crucial entry point for Honda into India’s mass-market EV market.
A fun car: All entry-level cars in India (petrol or electric) are focused on efficiency over engagement. The Super-ONE, if launched, could be a landmark car for the country.
