Honda Motor will start selling electric vehicles produced in China to car buyers in Japan as early as this spring, becoming the first Japanese automaker to offer a China-made EV model in the domestic market.
Honda will adapt imported vehicles from its EV brand e:N, launched in China in 2022, to meet Japanese specifications. The model, which resembles a sport utility vehicle, is produced and sold in China through a joint venture with a local manufacturer.
The EV will be sold in Japan under Honda's Insight brand. The company released the original Insight in 1999, and production of the third-generation model ended in 2022.
Only a limited selection of EV models is available in Japan. Honda has prioritized the introduction of electric minicars in the Japanese market. The automaker sells only two EV models in Japan, the N-One e: and the N-Van e:, both of which are minicars.
Honda debuted its first standard-size EV, the Honda e, in 2020, but production ended in 2024. The model had a driving range of just 259 kilometers, limiting its convenience for drivers.
Foreign automakers led by Tesla have stepped up EV sales in Japan, and Toyota Motor, Suzuki Motor and other Japanese rivals are rolling out new models. Honda's China-made EV is expected to offer a range of around 500 km per charge, the longest in the company's Japanese lineup.
Honda also aims to boost factory usage in China, where its operations have struggled. Intense price competition from Chinese makers such as BYD and Geely has hurt sales. Honda's new-car sales in China for 2025 fell 24% to 645,345 vehicles, the fifth straight annual decrease.