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Honda Introduces the NeuV Concept, a Two-Seater That Makes Money

Honda's concept for its CES presence involved something that sounds a little like an 80's slogan from a socialist country. It's called "Cooperative Mobility Ecosystem" (CME) and, as you might expect, has nothing to do with either the 80's or any socialist country.
Honda NeuV Concept 5 photos
Photo: Honda
Honda NeuV Concept at CES 2017Honda NeuV Concept at CES 2017Honda NeuV Concept at CES 2017Honda NeuV Concept at CES 2017
As a matter of fact, it sounds pretty standard for our very democratic 2017: "[The CME] envisions a future where vehicles will communicate with each other and infrastructure to mitigate traffic congestion and eliminate traffic fatalities, while increasing the productivity of road users and delivering new types of in-vehicle entertainment experiences."

Part of this Cooperative Mobility Ecosystem is the NeuV Concept, a two-seats electric car that, obviously, is also able to drive itself unaided. Pronounced "new-v," the small car is suposed to function as an automated ride-sharing vehicle during that 96 percent of the time when it would have otherwise sat idle in its owner's garage.

If you've read Elon Musk's Part 2 of his Tesla masterplan, then this idea shouldn't be new to you in anyway. We keep hearing how car ownership is going to change and how we won't be bothered with letting strangers sit in our cars, but to our 2017 minds, that sounds a little hard to swallow at the moment. Perhaps the moment the car starts earning more money than the rest of the family combined, we'll change our minds. And spend that money on another car just for ourselves.

Just like Toyota Concept-i's Yui, the NeuV (New Electric Urban Vehicle) comes with an AI assistant. Apparently, Honda's version seems to be a female AI because it's called HANA (Honda Automated Network Assistant) and it should be able to monitor the driver's emotional state and make various recommendations based on what it reads. Did you just cut somebody off? HANA will play Frankie Goes to Hollywood's "Relax, Don't Do It." Or something.

Design-wise, the NeuV is as simple as they get, opting for that minimalism that you really can't go wrong with. On the outside, the concept is definitely futuristic, but it's still easily recognizable as a car, though maybe not necessarily a Honda.

Since this is an autonomous car, it's the interior that counts. The NeuV is a Level 4 vehicle, meaning it keeps the regular controls as well for whenever the human driver wants to take over - and when they do, they'll be glad to know the car has a headerless windshield and heavily sloped side windows for maximum visibility.

The dashboard is essentially a large touchscreen that both the driver and passenger can operate. Despite its compact dimensions, the NeuV seems to have a decent storage space behind the seats, meaning it will take care of most people's daily needs, as long as kids aren't involved.

As Group Leader on the NeuV project, Jarad Hall says, Honda won't be coming out with a vehicle like this "tomorrow," but it's one of the directions the brand is considering, and it's trying to get some feedback from the market. So, what do you think? Yay or nay?

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About the author: Vlad Mitrache
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"Boy meets car, boy loves car, boy gets journalism degree and starts job writing and editing at a car magazine" - 5/5. (Vlad Mitrache if he was a movie)
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