Honda Personal-Neo Urban Transport (P-NUT)

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You can always rely on the Japanese car makers to invent the craziest names. Honda didn’t disappoint at the 2009 Los Angeles auto show, with the new P-Nut concept car. That stands for Personal-Neo Urban Transport, in case you were wondering.

It’s quite a different kettle of fish (bag of nuts?) from last year’s striking supercar hybrid concept car shown a year ago almost to the day. The P-Nut is an urban weapon, with a 2+1 seating layout for a compact shape and a McLaren-esque central driving position.

It’s also rear-engined, to help with the miniaturised packaging, says Honda. The concept was designed in the company’s advanced design studio in the US, whose director Dave Marek said: ‘The P-Nut concept explores the packaging and design potential for a vehicle conceived exclusively around the city lifestyle.’

So no need for any motorway cruising ability then?

Exactly. Honda says the footprint of the P-Nut is similar to a city car: it’s a scant 3400mm long, 1750mm wide and 1439mm tall.

Although there is seating for three, you can fold away the two rear outboard seats to increase boot space when travelling one-up.

Honda P-Nut: the engineering bit

Although Honda hasn’t specified an exact powertrain (ie this concept car is in make-believe land), it suggests that the P-Nut could use an internal combustion engine, hybrid-electric power or a pure battery EV solution.

We reckon they should stick an engine in fast. This thing is rear-engined and rear drive. And we all know that the best Hondas of recent years, the NSX and S2000, all drove the back axle not the front. Game on, Honda.

Nissan Qazana will bring new era of design, love it or hate it reaction

2012 Nissan Qazana – Click above for high-res image gallery

By this point in the year it's not as easy to find worthy entries for Understatement of the Year – there is just so much competition – but a comment made about the Nissan Qazana certainly qualifies: a Nissan insider told UK-based Autocar that the gelatinous crossover "will split opinion."

And not only will you get your chance to buy one in 2012, statements by Nissan indicate that you'll have your chance to buy other cars that also look like it. Nissan's customer research appears to have also given the company every reason for believing "it will be a success," and that this will give the brand "a more attractive and emotional appeal in the future."

Nissan hasn't said what Qazana design features might be seen on other cars, and we don't know if we're ready to even think about that possibility. Europeans have three years to get ready for it, and we in the States have that time to prepare for an Altima that looks like Admiral Ackbar.

Geneva 2009: Nissan Qazana

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