Honda aims to establish a different kind of relationship between people and cars, and named the car PUYO in order to emphasize the idea of creating a car that has the appeal of an “adorable pet”. PUYO is a Japanese onomatopoeiafor the “sensation of touching the vehicle’s soft body”. Not only is the exterior of the vehicle made of soft gel-like materials, it also glows in the dark, making it safer for pedestrians.
PUYO fits perfectly with Honda’s theme for this year – “For the endless joy of mobility on our earth”. In addition to adding joy to mobility, the fuel-cell powered PUYO car is also environmentally friendly. The fuel-cell used by vehicles such as the PUYO is hydrogen gas, a very clean fuel that emits only water and heat when it is combusted.
PUYO’s interior is designed along the same line as its exterior, and is meant to convey a ‘silky feel’ while maximizing the use of space. Equipped with a panel monitor that rises when the car is started, luminous fluid meter displays, and a joystick instead of a steering wheel, PUYO promises to provide a different driving experience.
This August, TFOT covered a different ‘green’ vehicle, Ford’s fuel-cell race car that broke the land speed record at the Bonneville Salt Flats.
More information on PUYO can be found on Honda’s official website.
Further discussion of PUYO and of other ‘green’ vehicles can be found on the TFOT forums.
