By Ronan Glon
Wednesday, Aug 29th, 2012 @ 9:55 am
 
A leaked brochure has prematurely revealed Honda's upcoming retro-styled N One city car. Considered a kei car in its home country of Japan, it will not be sold in Europe or in the United States.

The images confirm that the N One is heavily inspired by the N360/N600 of the 1970s and the N Concept 4 that was unveiled at the Tokyo Motor Show last year. Unlike the tiny N360/N600 it has four doors, however.

The car's exact dimensions are not currently available but Japan's laws on kei cars give a very good idea of what to expect. Legally speaking the retro-styled Honda can be no more than 133 inches long and 58 inches wide, dimensions that are perfectly adapted to the crowded streets of Japans.

On the inside, the N One features a retro-styled dashboard that is finished in the same color as the body. With chrome trim and a LCD screen it wears a more premium design than the dash of previous Honda-badged kei cars, indicating that it was designed to cater to a relatively well-off and trendy clientele.

Under the hood lies a 660cc VTEC four-cylinder engine that churns out approximately 64 horsepower, the maximum allowed for a kei car. It sends power to the front set of wheels via what appears to be a CVT transmission.

Honda is expected to release a full set of details about the N One when it makes its debut later this year.