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Why isn’t Honda bringing its tiny new EV to the U.S.?

Answer: Because it thought America wouldn't want it.

The rest of the world is loving the look of Honda’s new little electric vehicle, the E. The U.S., however, won’t be seeing the car on its streets anytime soon. That’s because Honda expected low demand for EVs in America, so it ultimately decided not to sell the vehicle here.

However, that was not always the plan. CNET Roadshow reports that when Honda first began working on the car, the U.S. was on the list of countries where the auto maker planned to release the E. But about three years ago, company executives decided that demand in the U.S. was likely to be too low to make selling the car here worthwhile. Among concerns was that Americans would not be pleased with the vehicle’s small size.

Kate is a senior copy editor in Northern California. She holds a bachelor's degree in English with a minor in professional writing from the University of California, Davis.