This afternoon, Honda unveiled its plans for an all-electric version of the Honda Fit subcompact hatchback to be launched globally in 2012. The announcement came at the 2010 Los Angeles Auto Show.

The announcement represented a full circle of sorts, since Los Angeles was the home of many of the 300 Honda EV-Plus electric cars that the company offered in the late 1990s to meet California regulations that were later modified.

The Honda Fit EV will offer a 100-mile range from a lithium-ion battery pack. A test fleet of prototype Fit EVs will be built next year, to be used by Google, Stanford University, and other partners to gather early data about recharging behavior and range.

Recharging time, Honda said, will be up to six hours using a 240-Volt charger, and up to 12 hours using 120-Volt current.

The concept car displayed at the Los Angeles Show was painted in a unique Deep Clear Blue Pearl exterior color, and fitted with five-spoke aluminum alloy wheels with blue inserts.

Among energy saving features in the all-electric five-seater are LED headlights and taillights, an aerodynamic bumper, along with design flourishes like a chrome front fascia and EV decals.

No less an executive than Takanobu Ito, president and CEO of Honda Motors globally, launched the car, which represents the first-ever global debut of a vehicle at the Los Angeles Auto Show.

[Honda Motors]