Honda P-NUT Concept Presented in LA

As promised, Japanese carmaker Honda unveiled its Personal-Neo Urban Transport (P-NUT) concept at the recently debuted Los Angeles Auto Show. The concept, conceived as a "footprint for maximum convenience in tight urban settings," follows today's downsizing trend and offers a preview of how future Honda city cars may look like.

"A new generation is discovering the benefits of living in urban centers that provide convenient access to business, entertainment and social opportunities," Dave Marek, director of advanced design for Honda R&D Americas said at the unveiling. "The Personal-Neo Urban Transport concept explores the packaging and design potential for a vehicle conceived exclusively around the city lifestyle."

The P-NUT was drawn in LA and is meant, as Honda says, to combine small exterior design with generous interior space. The driver is seated in a center position, flanked by two seats, allowing for the footprint of the micro car to be similar with the one found in a mid-sized sedan.

All of today's technologies are incorporated in the P-NUT, including in the windshield, which serves as a heads-up display.

"The objective of the exterior and interior designers was to explore the potential for a new type of small-segment-category vehicle that overcomes many of the objections for existing micro-car designs," Marek concluded. "While the Honda P-NUT concept introduces function-oriented concepts, it also shows that small cars don't have to compromise on style or amenities."

There is no word yet if the P-NUT will turn production any time soon but, as is the case with concepts, the technologies used for its development may find their way into other vehicles soon.