Honda Teases Us With Supposedly Green OSM Roadster Concept
by Michael Graham Richard, Gatineau, Canada on 07.22.08
Honda OSM Concept: Such a Tease!
Honda has unveiled the OSM (Open Study Model) roadster concept car at the British International Motor Show, and it claims that it is a green "low emission" prototype. But Honda is playing it very close to the vest, so that's all we know.
Is it hybrid? Plug-in hybrid? Fully electric (maybe they liked Tesla Motors' strategy of introducing electric cars upmarket first)? Your guess is as good as ours. You can read the press release if you are curious, but it's not that interesting without details on the drivetrain (we also want details on the drivetrain of Honda's upcoming hybrid). In the meantime, enjoy the photos (more below).
On this image we can see what looks like a tailpipe in the center, so that makes the probabilities that this is an all-electric car lower. But it could be purely cosmetic, or it could be removed if the car ever becomes a production model.
The dash is clearly inspired by the Honda Civic and the Honda FCX Clarity.
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Looks very nice! I hope it's a plug-in hybrid, kind of like the Volt. That's what Honda needs. If it made it, I'm sure they would sell tons. 50 miles all-electric range would be perfect, with very small diesel generator on board.
They didn't say 'No Emmisions' they said 'Low Emissions'. Maybe it's an alchohol fueled engine, with the fuel being made from seaweed, algea and leftover sushi. Why not?
The car looks very "upmarket" but so does the S2000. The S2000 sells for around $30,000 though so it's clearly not. Then also there's the fact that this is a Honda and not an Acura. So perhaps Honda has a better strategy: release an EV that looks upmarket but sells for a very reasonable price. It puts the "cool" in electric cars and gets rid of the stigma that they all have to look ugly. Perhaps it's all part of a long term marketing goal to get people that wouldn't normally be interested in EVs to say "hey, if they all look like that, I'll definitely buy one."
Come to think of it, this car actually looks like an evolved S2000. It looks like it could be electric too. It's probably easier to do an electric 2-door than it is to do a 4-door.
Very cool. +1 for Honda.
If it's an exclusively electric car, then why does it sport an exhaust pipe?
"Then also there's the fact that this is a Honda and not an Acura."
Honda only uses the Acura badge in North America, this being the British International Motor Show the badge probably isn't a good indicator of relative market position.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Acura)
The large radiator opening in the front seems to indicate that it has some kind of engine requiring cooling, and not, sadly, a more efficient electric primary drive. My guess is its a similar concept to their existing hybrid vehicle, maybe faster?