It seems the folks at Honda have been busy polishing more than just their new models; they’ve been polishing the trophy cabinet, too. The company has just walked away from the prestigious Red Dot Design Awards with a haul of accolades for everything from a silent sportbike to a trick new engine concept.
The Best of the Best Goes to… a Delivery Quad?
Leading the charge and scooping up the coveted “Red Dot: Best of the Best 2025” award is something called the Fastport eQuad. Forget what you think you know about courier vehicles. This is a single-rider, all-electric micromobility machine designed for that crucial “last-mile” delivery dash through congested city centres.
Think of it as the world’s most advanced delivery tricycle. It combines the rider’s pedaling power—which is electronically transmitted via a “pedal-by-wire” system—with a pedal-assist electric motor for a smooth, quiet, and emissions-free ride. Honda designed it specifically for zipping through bicycle lanes, which should make inner-city logistics a whole lot faster. It’s even been cleverly designed with transparent materials, so the rider can see pedestrians and you can see what your neighbour has been ordering. Get ready to see these on the streets, as full-scale production is slated to begin in the summer of 2026 at a U.S. facility.
Silent Thrills and City Sleds
While a high-tech delivery pod is all well and good, Honda also brought the goods for those of us who prefer two wheels for fun, not just for freight. Two electric motorcycle concepts also nabbed Red Dot winner titles.
First up is the EV Fun Concept, and with a name that refreshingly gets straight to the point, it’s Honda’s first crack at an electric sports model. Honda promises a new sensation of quiet riding but with an “emotional feeling” unique to electric bikes. This will be paired with the sharp handling Honda is known for, all packed into a slim chassis thanks to a fixed battery. The best part? This isn’t just some far-off fantasy. A production model, equivalent to a mid-sized naked sports bike, is scheduled to hit the market before the end of the current fiscal year (ending March 31, 2026).
Then there’s the EV Urban Concept, the Fun Concept’s more sensible, stylish sibling. Designed to “blend in with the urban landscape,” this bike is all about minimalist and sophisticated styling fused with an intuitive human-machine interface. It represents Honda’s vision for a near-future where your ride cooperates and resonates with you and the city around you.
Don’t Count Out Combustion Just Yet
Just when you thought Honda was plugging everything in, they drop a reminder that they haven’t forgotten the magic of internal combustion. The concept movie for their V3 motorcycle engine also won a Red Dot award. This isn’t just any engine; Honda is developing what it calls the world’s first V3 motorcycle engine with an electrical compressor. By controlling the air compression electrically, regardless of engine RPM, this setup can deliver massive, high-response torque right from the bottom of the rev range. Plus, it cleverly does away with the need for a bulky intercooler, allowing for a more compact and lightweight design.
The award-winning teaser movie deliberately uses glitch effects and the actual sound of the compressor to build anticipation, and it even features real Honda engineers instead of actors, showcasing what the company calls its “genuine commitment to carve out the future”.
From silent sportbikes to supercharged V3s and transparent delivery pods, Honda is certainly casting a wide net to create “mobility products that bring surprise and inspiration to people’s daily lives”. We’re just inspired to see which of these award-winners will make it from the design studio to our driveways.
