AutoCritical

Suzuki – through one of their research and development divisions in India, have come up with a compact MPV concept thought to be in preparation for the Delhi motor show, called the R3.

Rightly so, there is a trend in trying to make potentially dull cars (like vans and MPVs) to be dynamically styled. In Suzuki’s attempt there are many lines along the body side that emphasize this directional movement. The most interesting is the in the belt line of the car that uses light catching on the rear to contrast heavily with the dark shadow just behind the front wheel arch. Interesting DLO frame treatments that are sympathetic to the lower half of the doors create that conceptual interest that I would love to see in production.

Dramatic lines bring movement to the design

Themes of glass (represented in black) are strongly reinforced with the large opening on the rear backlight and are all connected with the sides and front with the sky lights on the roof. This results in a ‘light’ appearance on a car that could otherwise be heavy due to large areas of color.
A secondary theme that is perhaps more cohesive in the interior is the satin finished metal work. Hints that appear on the front, and streak though the body side are fed through the console with a vein-like functionality.

Clever use of satin chrome and black help reduce the visual weight of this type of car

Deliberate techniques of visual mass reduction make this a successful concept with clever uses of non-color (inside as black surfaces, and outside as glass). As a result this compact MPV, the R3, is far from static and heavy looking. I hope they put this one into production!

This concept car by Honda opens an opportunity to test the reaction of the public towards a car idea and design. This retro inspired design will no doubt turn heads on the road, if it ever makes it. To me, the first thing I notice is its size – it is obvious that this is for the inner city. Within one of the door panels is an inbuilt Honda motorized unicycle. This feature enforces the EV-N as a complete transportation solution, and the image I have in my head is that of a revolutionized lifestyle in the way of getting around.

Exterior theme

There is a cheeky (and rather obvious) theme of oval shapes that feature on the exterior of the car, from the wheels, to the light design. More subtly, the gentle radius similarly echo this cheek from the outside and in. Just like the exterior, the key interactive areas of the car, such as the binnacle/panels and door clasps adopt ovals as their primary design influence. I think that even if it is obvious, it makes sense to keep the cheeky exterior ‘feeling’ on the inside of the car so the driver can feel like how they look!

Interior theme

One of the more interesting proposals in this concept, besides the solar panels, and clean simple design are the light weight mesh-like seats. I am curious to see how they would turn out in a production version from their comfort, material type and safety.

This could be a mother car for the future…

Exterior Features