Against the backdrop of the 40th Tokyo Motor Show, Honda presents a new motoring concept, the PUYO, which promises fun in the shape of a vehicle that aims to be both friendly and warm.

This looks like one of the first concepts to meet the growing global demand for vehicles that, preserving luxury and comfort, satisfy tough environmental standards for technologies that require clean fuel and do not take up a lot of space, while nevertheless offering internal comfort.

The PUYO is an ultra efficient car powered by a hydrogen cell, which enables it to have a completely flat floor surface, as well as being environmentally friendly. Its exterior is smooth, almost silky. The word PUYO derives from a Japanese onomatopoeic phrase which, according to the manufacturer “expresses the sensation of touching the vehicle’s smooth bodywork.” According to Honda, the vehicle’s “gel” body uses soft materials which help with safety; lights shine through this gel bodywork highlighting the doors and the vehicle’s other manual controls, as well as warning the driver about their status.

This concept car is also notable for the joystick that replaces the steering wheel; its wheels turn through 360 degrees and light up in the dark, for increased safety for both other drivers, pedestrians and the car’s own driver.

Its rounded shape without edges, contributes to a generously proportioned interior with space for four passengers; this sense is reinforced by the use of transparent materials which helps to create a sense of greater comfort. The interior is accessed via scissor doors. The car’s interior surprises us with a design that “futuristic” does not begin to describe: the instrumentation is replaced with a monitor while the controls emerge from the cloth dashboard when the car is started up.

In summary, the minimalist design of this vehicle defines the principles of zero pollution, safety and fun, and it promises aesthetic harmony together with environmentally appropriate technology.