Vespa has unlocked a market secret: people who want to get around on a super small motorcycle want it to look cute. That’s why “Vespa” is the only brand of scooter everyone’s heard of. Looks like Honda just might adopt that strategy themselves with this new EV-Cub, and I say they’re on to something.
I don’t know why it took so long for a Japanese company to jump on the retro thing with scooters; but I guess the resurgence we’re in the middle of was enough to finally push Honda’s designers over the edge.
“Old-school” ends at the design though; the bike’s electric with a low-mounted battery to maximize center of gravity. And check out that slick speedometer!
No specs yet on range or whether or not the new EV-Cub will actually be built, but the bike will be on display at the Tokyo Motor Show coming right up.
If this isn’t your kind of bike, fine, but you’ve gotta admit it’s a pretty good execution of the “whimsical scooter” concept.
Images via Honda
Contact the author at andrew@jalopnik.com.