14 DAY TRIAL // People might not know this, but the automotive industry is a bit like the fashion industry, with lots of car models being made each year but very few actually being turned into actual cars. Honda is doing something about that.
In truth, the company isn't promising to make all the new and odd car models a reality. That would be a ridiculous notion any day.
There just aren't enough resources to make them all, and most would fail to sell anyway. After all, a balloon-shaped car is nice enough to look at as a curiosity, but not many will be willing to buy it.
Anyway, since it can't make all cars come true, Honda has set up a website where it publishes 3D scans and CAD modules of them.
The website is called honda-3d.com and, for now, only has a handful of Honda's concept cars, which can be viewed in a virtual environment or downloaded under the Creative Commons license.
Puyo, for example, is a 2007 concept with no hard edges and a soft interior, and the car was supposed to make a “puyo” sound when touched or entered.
Honda has come up with many possible cars over the years, and it might be amusing to see them all, even if they are never found on the street.
Releasing the designs to Creative Commons will definitely draw some more people to the Honda brand, so there's that to consider at least.
And since the designs are actually released through Creative Commons, it means that people who download them might be able to actually use some of the ideas in them for products without worry they'll get sued for it. Not by Honda anyhow.
Honda isn't including any technical info about any of the concept cars though. Not that it's all that shocking. Trade secrets and all.