Honda is showcasing its evolutionary approach to more sustainable product design with the European debut of its latest electrified urban vehicle concepts – the SUSTAINA-C Concept car and the Pocket Concept motorcycle – at Milan Design Week, from April 16 to 21.
Both will be presented alongside the SH125i ‘Vetro’ scooter to demonstrate the innovative use of materials and unique design aesthetics that can be created, reducing CO2 emissions resulting from the manufacturing process at the Honda Italia Industriale factory in Atessa, Italy. This is one way Honda is pursuing its goal of achieving carbon neutrality in all products and business activities by 2050.
First shown at the 2024 Japan Mobility Salon, the SUSTAINA-C Concept explores how society can be freed from the constraints of finite resources. It is presented alongside the Pocket Concept, a compact motorcycle that can be stored in the trunk and allows mobility in the last miles.
The panels are made from recycled acrylic resin from second-hand taillights to create exterior panels that do not require painting, allowing Honda to create a unique, paint-free finish that would not be possible with traditional materials. This material approach can reduce emissions during production by up to 45% – partly through the use of recycled materials, but also by leaving the panels unpainted, which can account for up to 80% of the CO2 emissions from a car factory.
The model on display in Milan features a black and white marble effect, achieved through the blending of colors with different melting points in the panels as they are molded – leaving a marbled effect behind as the material settles in the mold. In addition to its appealing appearance, the vehicle panels are not only crack-resistant and able to return to their original shape after minor collisions, but also offer a high level of weather resistance, with minimal degradation due to sunlight. At the rear, the excellent transparency of the acrylic resin allowed the rear door of the SUSTAINA-C Concept to be formed by a single panel that functions as a smartphone screen. The mini-LED screen was designed to communicate with other road users through simple text or images, thus offering a new potential dimension for the exterior design of future vehicles.Finally, the acrylic resin being used demonstrates a possible approach to future resource circulation. Developed in partnership with Mitsubishi Chemical, when second-hand taillights come from end-of-life vehicles, they are crushed and treated before being molded into the necessary panels for the SUSTAINA-C Concept. This is Honda’s way of seeking to reduce resource extraction and is part of its exploration of more energy-efficient, low-carbon, and profitable advanced recycling technologies, creating a circular value chain from vehicle to vehicle.
Developed in partnership with Honda Motor in Japan, the new material is a substitute for the traditional ABS plastic used for non-structural parts and components, helping to create a sleek and unified fairing style and a premium presence.
The sleek appearance of the SH125i Vetro is accompanied by its effortless functionality and efficiency, being the first Honda model built in Atessa to meet the new EURO5+ emissions targets, a legal requirement for all new models by the end of 2024.
