The N360 featured front wheel drive and an air-cooled, four-stroke, 354 cc, 31 PS (23 kW; 31 hp) two-cylinder engine.

After a January 1970 facelift it became the LNIII 360, with a new non-reflective dash, bigger turn signals, and the same new front end as the sedan.

As does the original Mini, but unlike the succeeding Life, the N360/600 had its gearbox mounted in the sump rather than bolted on as a separate unit.

[10] An upgraded 36 PS (26 kW) engine was added in October 1968 for the N360 TS, which was sold as the N360 Touring following a minor update in January 1969.

[13] The larger-engined N600 was developed alongside the N360 in order to target export markets like the US and Europe, where motorways demanded higher top speeds.

[15] Only 1,500 examples were sold until early 1969 when the N600 was discontinued in Japan; because of its larger engine it did not qualify for any of the tax and insurance breaks given to kei cars even though it was as small as one.

The performance figures put the car at or near the top of its class under most criteria, reflecting its favourable power-to-weight ratio.

The lower-powered engine arrived in 1972; with milder cams and lowered compression it gave up some peak power and torque, while allowing for a less peaky delivery and higher drivability.

[17] It delivered surprisingly peppy performance because of its light weight (around 550 kg/1100 pounds), due to compact dimensions and some plastic parts (like the boot lid).

The N600 (along with the TN360 kei truck), were the first Honda cars to be assembled outside Japan, with production in Taiwan by local joint venture Sanyang Industrial beginning in 1969.

In September 1967, Honda offered their first automobile for the North American market, and they were exported to Los Angeles, California.

[19] Four of the American pre-production vehicles still exist, and Serial Number N600-1000001, the first one manufactured, was discovered at a Japanese-specific car show in Long Beach, California, in 2015.