Hart Crane
02-11-2010, 10:53 AM
The Honda epos Concept, undraped today at the Chicago Auto Show, previews a newborn styling content for America’s best-selling minivan when it is redesigned this fall.
The construct is slightly lower and wider than the current Odyssey. It rides on the same wheelbase, although it is slightly longer overall.
One intriguing change is the shift away from the strict, insipid beltline seen in most minivans. Instead, the Honda construct features a “lightning bolt” cut separating the artefact metal from the window glass. Other styling cues include steeply raked front and rear pillars and a tapered side cabin, as substantially as a “lowered” appearance resulting from a closer body-to-wheel proportion.
Whether minivan shoppers desire such a racy design is uncertain. Honda and Toyota have led the portion with basic designs for years. A few years ago, Nissan tried unsuccessfully to make a market share dent with a flashy Quest.
Honda says the redesigned Odyssey will see improved interior seating, packaging and storage. But the construct version here was an exterior-only display.
Honda predicts the newborn model will get 19 mpg in the city and 28 on the highway, thanks to powertrain upgrades. That compares with 16/23 for the current LX and EX versions and 17/25 for the EX-L and Touring models.
The construct is slightly lower and wider than the current Odyssey. It rides on the same wheelbase, although it is slightly longer overall.
One intriguing change is the shift away from the strict, insipid beltline seen in most minivans. Instead, the Honda construct features a “lightning bolt” cut separating the artefact metal from the window glass. Other styling cues include steeply raked front and rear pillars and a tapered side cabin, as substantially as a “lowered” appearance resulting from a closer body-to-wheel proportion.
Whether minivan shoppers desire such a racy design is uncertain. Honda and Toyota have led the portion with basic designs for years. A few years ago, Nissan tried unsuccessfully to make a market share dent with a flashy Quest.
Honda says the redesigned Odyssey will see improved interior seating, packaging and storage. But the construct version here was an exterior-only display.
Honda predicts the newborn model will get 19 mpg in the city and 28 on the highway, thanks to powertrain upgrades. That compares with 16/23 for the current LX and EX versions and 17/25 for the EX-L and Touring models.