The Safe Honda Puyo Concept Car

Is it a pet? Is it a cuddly robot? Is it an overgrown soft toy? Oh no, it’s a car! What Honda wants its customers to think and feel is probably that here comes a car that’s clean, green and oh so sweet!

Their new concept vehicle, the Honda Puyo debuts at the Tokyo Motor Show 2007. Why a name like Puyo, you may well ask? Well, Honda says that the name is the Japanese onomatopoeia that ‘expresses the sensation of touching the vehicle's soft body’.

It’s a brand new idea in mobility and it promotes a seamless box form that will be kind to both the environment and people. Honda Puyo is a Japanese word that symbolizes the tangible traits of this distinctive car. The Honda Puyo has been designed to bring a smile to the user and the viewer and the idea is to convey all that is friendly and warm.

According to them, the car’s ‘gel body’ is made of soft materials so it’s safe for everyone around. The Puyo's body has been made luminescent so everyone can see it coming. And the owners can find their vehicles too. Thanks to this car glowing in the dark, accidental collisions could be a thing of the past.

The Puyo gets its power from hydrogen fuel cell technology. When using hydrogen fuel cells to make electicity the result is zero harmful emissions. When hydrogen and oxygen are combined all that is left is water vapor.

The Puyo has been described as a box without corners, but I think it looks like a bubble. It has very small wheels located at the very extreme corners and this feature helps it do an in-place turn of 360 degrees. Above the beltline the body is all glass giving a roomy feel to the vehicle and don’t forget to get a good look at the scissor doors.

Honda designed the interior of the Puyo with a completely new concept designed to make the driver comfortable with soft material and is well padded in case of accidents. There is an instrument panel monitor which rises up when the vehicle is turned on. The meter displays are made of a luminous fluid and in place of a steering wheel, there is a joystick which is designed to give you a great gaming feel.

There are lights under the body that shine through the gel, highlighting the doors and other manual functions. It can also inform the user about the condition of the vehicle. The seats look like bar stools with chair backs and the shape allows four people to sit in relative comfort.

The whole concept of this concept car is to make sure that driver and pedestrians come to no harm in case of an accident. The Honda Puyo is described as being people friendly, high on the efficiency meter and very environmentally responsible.

It is very futuristic in design and environmentally friendly. Too bad we won't be seeing anything like Puyo on the road anytime soon.