Honda has announced the line-up of vehicles to be displayed at the Japan Automobile Manufacturers Association, Inc-sponsored 37th Tokyo Motor Show which runs from Saturday October 25th to Wednesday, November 5, 2003 at Makuhari Messe in Chiba, Japan. The theme chosen for the passenger car display at this Tokyo Motor Show is 'Free Thinking; Liberating Technology'. In addition to production concept vehicles, the Honda display will showcase the company's environmental and safety technologies.
Passenger Car Display: 19 Vehicles, 16 Models
In the passenger car display, an all-new Odyssey will be introduced, as well as a broad range of concept vehicles. In addition, a variety of innovative powerplants that combine driving pleasure with advanced environmental technology, and a selection of new Honda safety technologies will be presented.
New Odyssey/ASM Stage
The spacious and comfortable new Odyssey redefines the minivan. An innovative low-floor platform provides a low centre of gravity for improved handling and a low roofline. Sharing the stage with the new Odyssey will be the
concept vehicle ASM, an 8-seat minivan offering both advanced technology and luxury.
Concept Vehicle Stage
Honda will present its ideas for the future in a line-up of intriguing concept vehicles:
the HSC which offers the driving pleasure of a sports car in a package that anyone can handle;
the IMAS, a lightweight aerodynamic hybrid sports car; and
Kiwami, which matches Honda's clean-running fuel cell technology with the Japanese aesthetic of beauty in a premium next-generation sedan.
Advanced Technology Stage
The display will feature the FCX, the world's first fuel cell vehicle to be brought to market, along with a wide range of cutaway models of engines that combine driving performance and advanced environmental technology. In addition, some of the latest developments in Honda's pre-crash safety and other safety technologies will be featured.
Motor Sports Stage
Honda's Formula One and IndyCar racers will be displayed, along with a racing version of the Fit (a concept vehicle).
Further, Honda's ongoing work in the area of Welfare Vehicles will be represented by displays of the passenger lift seat-equipped Odyssey Almas and Life Almas as well as the Monpal 4-wheel electric wheelchair, which can be driven with an easy-to-operate lever.
Honda's concept cars in detail
HSC (Honda Sports Concept) - a new-age high-performance mid-engine sports car that anyone can drive
The HSC was created to deliver the joy of a sports car and the thrill of free-spirited driving in a package that anyone can handle. It combines the ultimate in vehicle performance with carefree handling accessible to all.
The HSC is a pure sports car, offering driving exhilaration that until now only a professional could experience. The long wheelbase and short overhangs help maximise performance.
Located mid-ship for better handling, the lightweight compact V6 engine is designed for high efficiency and an output in excess of 300 horsepower. A paddle-shift shift lever makes for instant gear changing.
Dimensions: 4250 x 1900 x 1140 (l x w x h in mm)
IMAS - lightweight hybrid sports car that cuts through the breeze like a bicycle
The bicycle; a highly manoeuvrable environmentally friendly means of transportation that responds to a rider's every whim. The IMAS: a sports car designed to provide that same invigorating cutting-through-the-breeze feeling.
The design concept was to combine environmentally friendly performance with fun-to-drive sports car performance in an advanced, lightweight, aerodynamic package.
The body is made mainly of super light carbon fibre and aluminium - the overall weight is just 700 kg.
A sweeping aerodynamic shape helps achieve a drag coefficient (Cd) of just 0.20.
The efficient power plant is an update of Honda's IMA system.
Outstanding aerodynamics, light weight and a "green" power plant for bicycle-like freedom of movement - that's what the new-age lightweight IMAS sports car is all about.
Dimensions: 4050 x 1755 x 1300 (l x w x h in mm)
Kiwami - advanced fuel cell technology + traditional Japanese aesthetics = a premium saloon
Honda was the world's first automaker to bring a fuel cell car to market.
The Kiwami matches Honda's clean-performing fuel cell technology with the Japanese aesthetic of cleanliness to create an ideal saloon for the next generation.
The Japanese aesthetic sensibility and values are expressed in this unique vehicle, with its quietly strong, minimalist stance. Kiwami's form embodies a simple primitive beauty, yet advanced intelligent technologies concealed within ensure a quiet, safe, pleasant ride.
Advanced packaging technology that made possible the lower floor ensures a roomy interior despite the vehicle's low overall height.
The interior design reflects the Japanese sense of a luxurious relaxing atmosphere.
The latest in clean-running fuel cell technology meets the beauty of traditional Japan in this new premium saloon.
The Car Enthusiast comment
Being the Tokyo show, we are used to oddities such as the Kiwami and IMAS. They certainly are showcasing useful technology, but I can't see Honda making a mainly carbon-fibre car in the near future outside Formula One. The HSC however is another matter altogether. We are, without doubt, looking at the NSX replacement. It promises to be something special. Honda are keen to stress that the new car will be very easy to drive, yet still offer all the performance and dynamics of a true supercar. The current NSX is still a fantastic car (we drove the latest version recently and will have the review online soon linked from the main
Road Tests page). If Honda get around the 276 bhp limit imposed by a gentleman's agreement between the Japanese manufacturers, it is likely that we will get a 350 bhp evolution of the VTEC-equipped V6 engine. Hopefully the overall weight can be kept to a minimum, though presumably with aluminium as in the current car. Using other exotic materials would push the price up too high. We would like to see the car on UK roads early in 2005.
Honda news release - 18 Oct 2003
