Honda P-NUT Concept Envisions a ‘Personal’ City Coupe

Often enough, tiny city cars have a funky and boxy look. That’s not the case with the recently unveiled Personal-Neo Urban Transport – or P-NUT – concept car designed by Honda’s Advanced Design Studio in Southern California. The 134 inch long P-NUT has an aggressive and aerodynamic look with a glass cockpit that provides great visibility. In fact, the steeply raked windshield glass is jet-fighter cool and extends almost to the rear of the roof. Can you say ‘full moon roof?’ The windshield includes a heads-up display for the navigation system and back-up camera, the latter necessitated by the lack of rear view mirrors.

Maneuvering and parking on con¬gested urban streets would be a breeze since the three-passenger, four-wheel car is but 69 inches wide, only a foot greater than its 57 inch height. The driver sits in the center of this futuristic city coupe with two passengers behind. The rear seats can be folded up and out of the way to carry cargo.

Even though the P-NUT has an ultra-compact footprint, legroom for all three occupants is similar to that found in a mid-sized sedan. This is the result of the rear-mounted powerplant that drives the rear wheels. The modular rear engine bay can accommodate a variety of different propulsion systems that could include a highly efficient small displacement internal combustion engine, a gasoline-electric hybrid powerplant, or a battery-powered electric motor.

Honda says the P-NUT is only a design study model conceived to show how a micro city car could provide maximum convenience for use in tight urban settings. Production is probably not planned as noted by the lack of bumpers and the tiny headlights … but there’s always hope.