Production-ready Honda Urban EV to star at Geneva

Honda has confirmed it will launch a new pure-electric car at the Geneva motor show this March and, to prove it, it has released a single teaser.

Staying remarkably true to the Honda Urban EV concept revealed at the Frankfurt motor show in 2017, the pure-electric rival to BMW's i3 keeps its cute retro looks that hark back to the original 1973 Honda Civic.

Honda hasn't released full details on the battery-powered Urban EV, but the car it plans to unveil is thought to be a late-stage prototype that will pave the way for a full-production model.

Claimed to have been developed with a "focus on functionality and purpose... (demonstrated) through its clean, simple and unique design," the image released shows a mildly-updated face of the original concept.

Featuring the same round LED headlamps and an illuminated Honda badge, it's not clear if, like the concept, the prototype's black grille can display messages to other drivers.

Interestingly, there's no conventional door mirrors, either, with the car-maker preferring to use a pair of rear-facing cameras instead.

Based on spy shots from last November, we already know the real-world Urban EV will switch from three- to five-doors, but keep the concept's boxy proportions.

Those four passenger doors will also be front-hinged, rather than the cool concept's rear-hinged openings.

On sale in 2019, possibly as soon as Q3, Honda has not announced any details on the Urban EV's advanced zero-emission powertrain.

All is expected to be revealed at Geneva this March.