Honda to launch China-focused e:NS2 in Thailand and Japan
The Japanese automaker has begun accepting reservations for the e:N2 in Thailand and plans to launch it at the 2026 Bangkok International Motor Show on 23 March. The company has confirmed pricing at around 1.4 million baht (approx. 38,000 euros) and will commence deliveries by 30 April. It has also announced a range of incentives to stimulate early demand.
The company will include comprehensive insurance worth 37,764.58 baht (1,028 euros), a two-year/40,000 km warranty extension and roadside assistance package worth 31,000 baht (844 euros), a home charger worth 60,000 baht (1,634 euros), and a portable charging cable worth 9,500 baht (259 euros) at no additional cost. It will also give the first 100 customers the Motocompacto foldable electric scooter worth 65,000 baht (1,770 euros) as a complimentary gift.
The e:N2 is 4,788 mm long, 1,838 mm wide, and 1,570 mm tall and has a 2,733 mm wheelbase. Honda has set its ground clearance at a relatively low 142 mm. The company will launch it in a single variant, with a front-mounted motor producing 150 kW and 310 Nm of torque and a 68.8 kWh battery pack. This configuration delivers an NEDC range of 530 km.
Honda will offer the e:N2 in a single well-equipped trim. It will equip the EV with features such as 18-inch alloy wheels, a hands-free power tailgate, an 8-way power driver’s seat with ventilation and memory functions, a 4-way power front passenger seat with ventilation, a head-up display with an 11.5-inch projection area, a 9.4-inch digital instrument cluster, a 12.8-inch touchscreen infotainment system, a wireless smartphone charger, and a 12-speaker Bose sound system as standard.
On the safety front, Honda has confirmed Blind Spot Information, front and rear parking sensors, Cross Traffic Monitor, a 360º camera system, Collision Mitigation Braking System, Lane Keeping Assist System, Adaptive Cruise Control with Low Speed Follow, Road Departure Mitigation System with Lane Departure Warning, Lead Car Departure Notification, and Auto High-Beam. The company will also equip the e:N2 with seven airbags, including a front centre airbag.
In Japan, Honda will start accepting pre-orders for the Insight on 19 March and launch the model later this spring. The company quotes the same torque output as the e:N2 – 310 Nm – along with a WLTC range of over 500 km, suggesting it will offer the same single-motor FWD configuration. Similarly, it appears to plan to offer only one fully loaded trim.
Unlike the e:N2, the Insight features an all-black interior, but its feature set appears largely identical. Honda has confirmed 18-inch alloy wheels, a hands-free power tailgate, an 8-way power driver’s seat, a 4-way power front passenger seat, a 12.8-inch touchscreen infotainment system, a 9.4-inch digital instrument cluster, a head-up display, seven airbags, and a 360º camera system among the equipment highlights.
A recent report from Nikkei says that the Insight will be the first China-made EV to be launched in Japan by a domestic brand. Honda has since confirmed plans to bring a limited quota of 3,000 units to Japan, with Kunihiro Koike, the model’s chief engineer, saying it is difficult to predict demand in the country’s current EV market. While Koike did not say so explicitly, he suggested that the Insight will serve as a stopgap measure until the company launches the global 0 Series models next year.
Dongfeng-Honda, one of the Japanese automaker’s two automotive joint ventures in China, manufactures the e:NS2 in Wuhan (Hubei Province), possibly in the new dedicated New Energy Vehicle (NEV) facility with an annual production capacity of 120,000 units. Honda will source the renamed e:N2 and Insight versions from the same joint venture plant.
honda.co.th (e:NS2; in Thai), global.honda (Insight; in Japanese), nikkei.com, response.jp
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