Honda to bring a prototype EV to the Tokyo Motor Show in October

According to an article published today by the Associated Press, an unnamed spokesman at Honda in Tokyo has told a financial newspaper that Japan's second-largest automaker and a staunch hold-out on dedicated electric vehicles will in fact be presenting their first EV prototype at the 2009 Tokyo Motor Show opening to the public on October 24 (all photos courtesy Honda Motor Co).

The Honda FCX Clarity, a hydrogen fuel cell vehicle

With this announcement, Honda joins the growing list of major car makers with an EV on the docket. Mitsubishi, for instance, has the i-MiEV, Nissan's got the Leaf, Ford's got the Transit Connect, and Chrysler's got the Dodge Circuit.

The Honda Civic GX, a natural gas vehicle

The spokesman said that the EV—about which there is scant information—will hit the US market "early next decade", which could mean anywhere from next year to 2013. Word is that it'll be something of a highway capable minicar

The EV will join Honda's growing list of green vehicles, including the FCX Clarity, the Civic GX NGV, and most recently the Insight hybrid, a car that was built with one purpose: to compete with and undercut the star of the hybrid world, Toyota's Prius. Honda took no chances on the Insight, going so far as to make it almost visually indistinguishable from a Prius, but cheaper.

The Honda Insight, a gas/electric hybrid