LA 2010: Honda debuts Fit EV concept, production version coming in 2012

Filed under: Concept Cars, LA Auto Show, Hatchback, Honda, Electric

Honda Fit EV concept – Click above for high-res image gallery

We were a bit miffed at the Paris Motor Show this year when Honda debuted its ~~Fit~~ Jazz Hybrid and told us there were no plans to bring it to the United States. Bigger plans were in the works, however, and we’ve now caught our first glimpse at the Fit EV concept on display at this year’s LA Auto Show.

Visually, the Fit EV doesn’t stray too far from the design language we’ve come to know from the gasoline-powered hatchback, albeit with a few concept-y touches thrown in for good measure. Interior refinement is standard-grade Fit spec, as well, with a modified gauge cluster showing battery and efficiency information.

Honda has outfitted the Fit EV with a version of the electric motor used in the automaker’s FCX Clarity fuel cell vehicle, and we’re told that range will be around 100 miles with a top speed of 90 miles per hour. Sounds like a Nissan Leaf competitor to us. Though purely a concept right now, Honda plans to sell a production version of the Fit EV sometime in 2012, and fleet testing of the electric hatch will commence in the coming months.

See the Fit EV for yourself in our galleries of live and stock shots below, and follow the jump for the full details in Honda’s press release.

Gallery: LA 2010: Honda Fit EV Concept