At the prestigious Japan Mobility Show 2023, formerly Tokyo Motor Show, Honda Motor Co Ltd not only exhibited automobiles but also diverse forms of current and future mobility, including aircraft, that the brand is pursuing.
Director, president, and representative Toshihiro Mibe presented the stage-themed “Honda Dream Loop”. He explained that the motif was to express the future, toward which the dreams of many people would form an endless loop and continue expanding, starting from mobility products and services that embody Honda’s ideals. “We offer visitors the opportunity to experience the future mobility Honda dreams of and also to participate in creating the future mobility with us,” he added.
New global brand slogan
In celebration of Honda’s 75th anniversary, Mibe pointed out how the company looked back on its history—offering a wide range of value to customers and society as a manufacturer of mobility products. “We can say that Honda has grown to this point while always being driven by ‘dreams,’ and taking on challenges to realize what was thought to be impossible,” he said.
“The Power of Dreams – How We Move You” is Honda’s new global brand slogan. The company CEO explained that it conveys the message that the dreams of everyone working at Honda have always been the driving force of the brand. Additionally, “Transcend” and “Augment” are unique Honda value propositions. Honda claims that the mobility products and services that embody its dreams will enable people to “transcend various constraints such as time and place” and to “augment their abilities and possibilities.”
“Mobility enables us to see new surroundings, meet new people and discover new things, which expands the world we live in. On the other hand, mobility faces various constraints. It may take a long time just to get to the destination, and we often cannot do anything else during that time. Or, we cannot even get to some places due to a lack of the proper means of transportation. Honda wants to enable people to transcend such constraints, and we want to continue offering the joy and freedom of mobility into the future,” said Mibe.
The company CEO also explained that by using new mobility products and services at the user’s will, people can go faster and farther. “We can go to places where we cannot get to only with human ability. New mobility products and services will enable people to do things that were not possible before. That is the value of ‘augmenting people’s possibilities,’” he added.
Meanwhile, various Honda mobility products and technologies took center stage intending to “transcend various constraints such as time and place” and to “augment their abilities and possibilities.”
Autonomous EV Cruise Origin
Jointly developed by General Motors, Cruise and Honda and purpose-built for a driverless ride-hail service, the self-driving Cruise Origin is designed to pick up customers at a specified location and drive them to the destination. The process from hailing to payment would be done through a dedicated app on smartphones.
As a self-driving vehicle with no driver’s seat or steering wheel, it features a vast cabin space that can be as private as a personally owned vehicle, allowing six people to ride simultaneously, face-to-face. This driverless ride-hail service will offer a new mobility experience in Japan and target many customers.
The three companies plan to launch the Cruise Origin in central Tokyo in early 2026. The service will start with dozens of Cruise Origins and then expand to a fleet of 500. The three companies plan to subsequently develop and scale the service to areas outside of central Tokyo.
Sustaina-C concept world premiere
Designed to enable people to transcend the constraints of limited resources, these models are made of acrylic resin that is recycled and reused. “This kind of resource circulation will enable us to transcend the constraints of the limited availability of resources and achieve both environmental sustainability and the joy and freedom of mobility long into the future,” said Mibe.
He also explained that mobility products are made from various materials, including metals, resins and fabrics. “However, these materials and resources are limited. If we only use current ways of making products and recycling, there will, sooner or later, come a time when it will become difficult to sustain our production of mobility products,” Mibe added.
Honda Jet and eVTOL
According to Honda, when combined with mobility products on the ground, making “three-dimensional mobility” available, these mobility products in the skies will enable people to transcend the constraints of place and distance. Honda exhibited the full-size interior mockup of the HondaJet Elite II light business jet to showcase the cabin experience. In addition, Honda displayed the 1/5th scale exterior mockup of the Honda eVTOL (electrical vertical take off and landing) aircraft and its gas turbine hybrid system currently under development.
CI-MEV
Making a global premiere was the CI-MEV self-driving micro-mobility. Aimed to augment the living radius for people, this 2-seater, 4-wheel EV features Honda’s original Cooperative Intelligence (CI) and automated driving technologies. Also, it will offer easily accessible last-mile mobility for any user. Honda strives to augment the living radius for people, especially those in situations that limit mobility, such as when there is no public transportation or when people experience difficulty walking a long distance.
Uni-One
One of the more sought-after display models was the interesting hands-free seated personal mobility device. Featuring the balance control technology developed through Honda’s robotics research and the Honda Omni Traction Drive System, Honda’s original wheel mechanism moves naturally in all directions. The Uni-One is a mobility device the user can steer simply by shifting their body weight while sitting and moving as if they were walking. Honda claims that the Uni-One will expand opportunities for users with mobility challenges.
Prologue EV SUV
Also on display was the upcoming all-electric mid-size crossover SUV, jointly developed by Honda and GM. Intended for the North American market, the official launch and sale are planned for 2024. According to Honda, the design was led by a youthful, diverse team of designers in the Honda Design Studio in Los Angeles, who utilized virtual reality tools to create a neo-rugged design concept with simple and clean styling. The spacious Prologue offers a spacious and techy cabin. With 21-inch wheels and a wheelbase on par with other rugged vehicles, this all-electric SUV has some sizeable capability.
Prelude Concept
Considered as the brand’s showrunner was the comeback of the Prelude nameplate. Mibe concluded his presentation by unveiling the Prelude Concept. Donning a sport coupe form, the Prelude Concept almost looked like a production model and was reported to pack a hybrid powertrain. Honda claims this upcoming sports coupe will take the “joy of driving” into the full-fledged electrified future.
“Honda has always been committed to creating sporty vehicles. And the word ‘prelude’ means an ‘introductory or preceding performance.’ This model will become the prelude for our future models, which will inherit the ‘joy of driving’ into the full-fledged electrified future and embody Honda’s unalterable sports mindset. The Prelude Concept is a specialty sports model that will offer an exhilarating experience that makes you want to keep going forever and extraordinary excitement you never felt before,” said Mibe.
Since Honda’s showcase was about diverse mobility, its other products designed to augment people’s abilities and possibilities were also displayed. One was the Autonomous Work Vehicle (AWV), a platform-style autonomous vehicle which can be utilized for a wide range of applications using various attachments. Honda AWV is being developed to augment people’s abilities and possibilities by transporting large loads and reforming multiple tasks on behalf of human users in environments where people will have difficulty performing such tasks.
Another model was the Avatar Robot. Featuring a multi-fingered robotic hand, which was developed while applying technologies Honda has amassed through its research into robotics, including Asimo and the AI-supported remote-control technology, the Avatar Robot will let users perform tasks and experience things remotely as if they were there in person.
One of Honda’s mobility products on display and designed to transcend the constraints was the SC e: Concept. The concept model of an electric motorcycle is designed to enable people to transcend time constraints by easily swapping the batteries and eliminating the waiting time for battery charging. There were also electric products utilizing Honda Mobile Power Pack e:. Honda claims that by storing and carrying clean, renewable energy and using the energy in various places and applications, people can transcend the constraints of limited resources and achieve both environmental sustainability and freedom of mobility and daily life. (Story, photos, and video courtesy of Randy Peregrino)