The FC Sport was Honda’s surprise entry into the 2008 Los Angeles Car Show. It is a Hydrogen Fuel Cell powered sports car, designed to show off the fact that due to the different shape of fuel cells and their companion electric motors compared to a conventional engine, designers have a lot more freedom to explore different and innovative packaging solutions, which have been conventionally fixed in their current form for at least 50 years.
The FC Sport has a 3 seat design very similar in concept to the Mclaren F1. To Quote Honda “The Honda FC Sport explores how to satisfy automotive performance enthusiasts in a world beyond petroleum.” Unfortunately the concept is non-functioning and not for production, more a blue sky thinking project to let designers creativity loose and give us something interesting to look at when we visit the motor show.
The FC Sport has a 3 seat design very similar in concept to the Mclaren F1. To Quote Honda “The Honda FC Sport explores how to satisfy automotive performance enthusiasts in a world beyond petroleum.” Unfortunately the concept is non-functioning and not for production, more a blue sky thinking project to let designers creativity loose and give us something interesting to look at when we visit the motor show.
HONDA CR-Z CONCEPT
The CR-Z concept is a long awaited spiritual successor to the wonderful CR-X coupe of the late 80′s / 90′s. The first concept was shown at the Tokyo Car Show in 2007, but has since appeared at several other shows, with Honda tweaking the design and streamlining the car, but overall making very few changes for production.
Honda has confirmed a production version will be built, which is great news – finally something akin to a hybrid sports car, and a moving of the hybrid away from the niche and into the mainstream.
The production version of the CR-Z is expected from Mid 2010, and should closely follow the design of this concept. If the car can give the performance that the original CR-X possessed both in speed and handling ability, the car will be a sure fire hit.
HONDA OSM CONCEPT
The OSM concept car (OSM stands for Open Study Model) was shown at the 2008 British Motor Show and was a design study focused around creating a low emissions level car, or Hybrid that would be seen as good looking and fun to drive rather than the traditional aerodynamically helpful but dull as dishwater shape we have seen from hybrids like the Prius so far.
The OSM car also previews a new design language we are expecting to see coming in across the Honda range for production models in the near future, although the OSM will not itself make production “We’re trying to show that low emission cars can be attractive,” says Andreas Sittel, Project Leader for OSM. “There is no reason why a car that’s more environmentally friendly can’t look great too – and be sporty and fun to drive.”
HONDA LINIAN ROADSTER CONCEPT
Honda’s Linian Roadster was first shown at the 2008 Beijing Car Show, and is the second Linian concept, developed specifically to be produced in China as a joint development between Honda and Guangzhou Automotive, a Chinese car producer, with Honda looking to create China specific models. It was not clear if the aim was to produce cars solely for the Chinese marketplace or for worldwide distribution, with manufacturing taking place in China due to favourable labour rates.
Whilst only a concept, it does point the direction for a replacement to the well loved and recently discontinued S2000 model, with looks that strongly reference the S2000 and have been well received generally across the motoring public and press.
HONDA ‘SMALL HYBRID SPORTS’ CONCEPT
The Honda “Small Hybrid Sports” concept is one of two cars shown at the first shown at the 2007 Geneva Motor Show to showcase the idea that hybrids can also be sports cars and fun to drive, rahter than dull eco-boxes . This one was designed at Honda’s European R&D studio in Offenbach.
According to Honda it “demonstrates a unique fusion of advanced environmental technology, exciting styling and fun-to-drive characteristics.” It’s thankfully a design study only, was not a working prototype and definitely not expected to make production. Given the choice of this or the CR-Z, we’d take the sharp looks of the CRZ any day over this strange looking beast.
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