Honda's P-NUT concept is big on puns, short on realism

We get it, Honda, you got some of your crack acronymists on the job and hobbled together Personal-Neo Urban Transport (P-NUT) to vaguely describe this new concept car. But the car itself? It's interesting, we'll give it that. The primary idea seems to be the single seat in front for the driver, with two rear seats in the leg-room optimized "flanking" positions. There's also a modular rear engine bay for working with a regular internal combustion engine, hybrid setup or pure electric power, along with a heads up display in the front windshield. It seems fun, and we like all the legroom, but we won't start building any locomotion dreams upon the thin, salty shell of P-NUT just yet. Video is after the break.

[gundamboy Posted Dec 3rd 2009 2:12PM]

awww nuts.

I like how they made the headlights look evil.

[Brokinarrow Posted Dec 3rd 2009 2:18PM]

@(Unverified) honda is attempting to compensate for something...

[Smart People Play Tuba Posted Dec 3rd 2009 2:36PM]

@Brokinarrow
Honda is already evil.

Oh wait. No, that's Sony.

[geekthree Posted Dec 3rd 2009 2:41PM]

@Smart People Play Tuba

Its like they designed a really awesome looking Washing Machine, Ride on lawn mower, and dishwasher..

Then melted them together :/

[trilobug Posted Dec 3rd 2009 3:15PM]

@(Unverified) Yeah, it's devilishly cute - like an newborn Decepticon.

[smartmouth Posted Dec 3rd 2009 2:15PM]

What happens if you get a black one of these? It's a "roasted" P-NUT

[smartmouth Posted Dec 3rd 2009 2:19PM]

@smartmouth
Shit that sounded better in my head. I swear my intentions were good.

[XciteMe Posted Dec 3rd 2009 2:18PM]

Peanuts and beer go GREAT together... Not that I condone drunk driving. >_>

[iptydafu Posted Dec 3rd 2009 2:19PM]

half the damn thing is ahead of the driver--I hope they've taken the advantage and crammed everything up there to optimize storage in the rear. Though with the mention of "rear" engine-bay, I'm not sure what the hell they're up to.

[iptydafu Posted Dec 3rd 2009 2:21PM]

Video's kind of creepy too--all 70's porno zoomin's and outs.

[jecks Posted Dec 3rd 2009 2:25PM]

have you ever been to europe or japan? there are tons of little, odd-shaped cars over there. it's more for that market than ours.

[JeanMichel Decombe Posted Dec 3rd 2009 2:28PM]

Looking at the front of it, I am wondering whether the P stands for Pontiac...

[thefinitemonkey Posted Dec 3rd 2009 2:33PM]

Looks like a giant Clone Troopers helmet, so it should sell well with the fans of Episode I. Oh wait, that's pretty limiting...

[pff1029 Posted Dec 3rd 2009 2:45PM]

Taking blind spots to a whole new level, eh? And why is the name P-NUT? It should be insect-related, from the looks of the front-end. Kind of wasp-like.

[ChazClout Posted Dec 3rd 2009 2:47PM]

How long till we have a P-NUS pun?

[shadowj0 Posted Dec 3rd 2009 6:55PM]

@ChazClout

It'll be until they bring out a V.A.G. model along with that P-NUS that those jokes will be presented.

[Mileage Posted Dec 3rd 2009 2:47PM]

I didn't know Honda was run by Cylons.

[sitruc Posted Dec 3rd 2009 3:14PM]

I suppose engadget is going to cover all of the concept vehicles from the LA Auto Show.

[theguedz Posted Dec 3rd 2009 3:17PM]

Autobot! transform!

[theguedz Posted Dec 3rd 2009 3:19PM]

@theguedz that and Borat's bikini.

[eugeneaction Posted Dec 3rd 2009 3:33PM]

really? I'm the first to bash the video.... I mean come onnn... you get a better view if you were a drunken one-eyed pirate floating by the honda plant with a telescope whilst eating jerky and yell'n at yurr crew to prep the walk...

[GeekPI Posted Dec 3rd 2009 3:57PM]

@(Unverified)

It's a video made for the press. That's why it has sections of black between the zooms and pans, so a news video editor can quickly re-edit the video to match their script and likely the live event coverage. It's not meant in this form for the public.

/used to edit videos like this for the news.

[Samurai Jack Posted Dec 3rd 2009 4:48PM]

Seriously? Does the driver have to say "By your command" every time the two passengers tell him which way to turn?

[wvcaver Posted Dec 3rd 2009 5:06PM]

Cant wait to see some stupid Liberal in that !

[shadowj0 Posted Dec 3rd 2009 6:55PM]

@wvcaver

Can't wait to see a Conservative sell that!

[Munk Posted Dec 3rd 2009 8:47PM]

@shadowj0 Isnt it Electric?

[poematik14 Posted Dec 3rd 2009 5:30PM]

Asian people have no concept of aesthetics, they just go all out and call it modern.
It looks like a wedge of cheese, too many hard and rounded angles which should never go together; there is too much visual weight in the bottom half of the facade which clashes heavily with the sharp sloped windshield, leaving the viewer feeling uneasy.

Honda/toyota/hyundai/etc please just stick to econoboxes for the middle class and let the European manufacturers create real automotive design.

[Questionmark Posted Dec 4th 2009 4:36PM]

@poematik14
ever heard of cultural differences?

[iDont Posted Dec 3rd 2009 5:46PM]

I think the car is excellent. Honda is nearly the only car company out there thinking outside the box. I hate that every car must look a certain way or its not liked. Everyone thinks Honda's new CR-Z is ugly too. I would buy the CR-Z concept Today if it was available. Way to go Honda, for being different. I will say p-nut name is a little lame, but like the concept. I am bored with "normal" looking cars.... You people voted that guy into the white house, thought you were ready for Change?

[i1patrick Posted Dec 3rd 2009 6:26PM]

I love that the spent the first 42 seconds of the video zooming in on where the rear license plate will be mounted. That's really the only part of the car that most people care to see anyway.

[jayeda Posted Dec 3rd 2009 8:13PM]

P-NUT..hmm.. sounds hot!!

[Munk Posted Dec 3rd 2009 8:52PM]

Looks good. Will be popular in Asia if they get the price right (and if they ever decide to produce it!)

[ImDaIllest Posted Dec 3rd 2009 9:39PM]

honda, think you forgot something, where the hell are the windshield whipper?! and from the looks of this thing, you might need three of um... LOL.