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Enlarged AirPods box

Author | Rongxi

Honda recently unveiled a new car, the electric two-wheeled one.

The new Honda Motocompacto, an electric scooter that addresses the need for the last kilometer, looks very strange and looks like this:

It looks very much like a large AirPods box, more like a suitcase if the seat and handle are folded up. The price was also announced, $995, equivalent to 7200 yuan.

In a word, the history of this car dates back to the last century, and its predecessor has a louder name-Honda bench.

01, strange car new Motocompacto design inspiration, from Honda in the early 1980s launched the fuel version of Motocompo, its main feature is small and light.

But the new electric car, not made in Japan, was designed and developed by Honda engineers in Ohio and California, and officials say the design of the new Motocompacto has won 32 patents.

First of all, the appearance is very retro, the all-white body has a popular science fiction style in the 1950s, as a product of the 21st century, of course, there are a lot of trendy designs.

After the seat and handle are folded, it can be turned into a compact suitcase, and you can walk with your bag. It is very convenient to get on the bus and take the subway. The new Motocompacto can indeed be used as a suitcase, with a lot of storage space on the body.

Honda says its aluminum frame and wheels keep it lightweight and weigh only 42.3 pounds, or about 38 jin.

The new folded Motocompacto is not large, with a length of 74cm, a height of 53.5cm and a width of 9cm. The size and weight of the body is about the same as that of a lever suitcase.

Of course, because of its small body, the two-wheeled electric car has a range of only 12 miles (19.3km), which means you can't ride it far away. It has a 6.8Ah battery capacity, can be fully charged in 3.5 hours, and has a top speed of 15 mph. The acceleration time of 0-15 miles is 7 seconds.

In other configurations, the car also has pegs, a digital speedometer, a charger and a handle to match the identity of a "suitcase". In addition, users can log on to smartphone apps and adjust their personal settings via Bluetooth, including lighting and cycling modes.

"Motocompacto is very easy to ride and is designed with safety and durability in mind." Nick Ziraldo, project leader and head of design and engineering at Honda Development and Manufacturing, said that the Motocompacto uses heat-treated aluminum frames and wheels, with LED headlights and taillights, side mirrors and welded steel lock rings on brackets are compatible with most bicycle locks.

The unique body structure also makes the load-bearing capacity of Motocompacto reach 120kg.

In order to meet the personalization, Honda also provides its own body pull flower for Motocompacto, and officials also show a lot of pattern samples. Official accessories including helmets, backpacks and clothing are also provided.

The Motocompacto will go on sale exclusively on Honda's website and at Honda and Acura dealers starting in November for $995, or 7223 yuan, Honda officials said.

02, short-lived but gorgeous Motocompo, Honda's most classic motorcycle, Motocompo is definitely in the forefront, and the birth of this car scooter starts from a small car.

In 1981, Honda launched a subcompact car, the City, which was mainly aimed at Japan, Europe and Australia, with a three-door hatchback and a two-door convertible, which later became a household name, the Feido.

The City adopted the design concept of "Tallboy", which simply meant that the body was small but tall enough, and the City was the smallest car in Honda at the time.

Honda's original intention was to build a fun and cheap car, and the City was a huge success as soon as it was launched against the backdrop of "running out of oil" in the 1980s.

The 1981 Honda City comes with an 1231cc Honda ER engine, and the next year Honda launched the Honda City Turbo.

Also on sale with the City is a scooter, the Motocompo, a 49-cc folding pedal motorcycle that fits right in the trunk of the City.

Honda Motocompo, can be said to be a very "weird" motorcycle, handlebars, pedals, seats can be folded into the body, the original car with a cover, can cover the folded frame.

This is also the biggest selling point of the Honda Motocompo, which can be easily picked up after folding. The whole car weighs 45kg and has a length, width and height of 1185x535x540mm. According to the car's instructions at the time, the car can be placed not only vertically, but also horizontally in the trunk of the City.

I have to admit that the design ability of Honda engineers is still very online, and I feel that this car is the perfect embodiment of the Japanese's acceptance of obsessive-compulsive disorder.

Because it looks like a bench after folding, the Honda Motocompo is also known as the "Honda bench" in China. It is equipped with an air-cooled two-stroke engine with a maximum power of 2.5hp, a speed of 30km per hour and a fuel consumption of only one liter at 70km.

However, the body of the Honda bench is so compact that it is very difficult for the factory to mass produce and the rate of good products is very low, which eventually leads to a very high price of 80,000 yen after listing.

Perhaps because of the price, Honda bench sales are not high, after failing to meet expectations, production stopped after three years.

Between 1981 and 1985, Honda sold about 50, 000 benches.

Honda bench life cycle is not long, the shape is also strange, but because of this, also gained a large number of fans, and even caused a lot of topic at that time, the car was often seen in Japanese popular comics at that time.

Just like many artists are destitute in life and add halo to their bodies after death. Today, Honda bench, which has been out of production for nearly 40 years, still has exuberant vitality.

Some small benches with good quality and good maintenance are very popular in the market, and some foreign fans have even held Honda bench field competitions.

More and more people are paying attention to Honda bench used cars, some of which are used as scooters, some modified, but more likely to pay for feelings, clean them up after buying them, and display them at home as collectibles.

The prices of used cars with Honda stools vary from high to low, with good prices ranging from 10 to 30, 000 yuan, and higher prices have been auctioned in some foreign markets.

03. What do foreign media think? In fact, even from today's design perspective, the design concept of Honda bench is quite advanced, so the rebirth of the new Honda Motocompacto unexpectedly let foreign netizens and media begin to cheer.

For example, the US technology media Theverge commented, "I'm glad Honda has launched such a stupid electric car, and it's so interesting, who cares how far it can go?"

"I describe its aesthetics as irresistible, heartbreaking stupidity and loveliness," Techcrunch said. "finally, thanks to Honda for making things strange."

Another netizen exclaimed, "it's so cool that I can't wait to buy one right away."

As for this electric car, some foreign media even compared it to the iPhone of the travel market. It says Honda's Motocompacto will stimulate the rapid growth of this market, just as Apple's iPhone promotes the smartphone market.

There is no denying that the Honda bench has an obvious label of the times. although the era of fuel cars has failed, it has ushered in a new life in the electrified market. It can be predicted that once Honda Motocompacto is listed, there will be many players to start with. Unfortunately, there is no news on whether it is sold in China.

This article is from the official account of Wechat: Super Electric Lab (ID:SuperEV-Lab), author: Rongxi

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