Honda Personal-Neo Urban Transport (P-NUT)

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You can always rely on the Japanese car makers to invent the craziest names. Honda didn’t disappoint at the 2009 Los Angeles auto show, with the new P-Nut concept car. That stands for Personal-Neo Urban Transport, in case you were wondering.

It’s quite a different kettle of fish (bag of nuts?) from last year’s striking supercar hybrid concept car shown a year ago almost to the day. The P-Nut is an urban weapon, with a 2+1 seating layout for a compact shape and a McLaren-esque central driving position.

It’s also rear-engined, to help with the miniaturised packaging, says Honda. The concept was designed in the company’s advanced design studio in the US, whose director Dave Marek said: ‘The P-Nut concept explores the packaging and design potential for a vehicle conceived exclusively around the city lifestyle.’

So no need for any motorway cruising ability then?

Exactly. Honda says the footprint of the P-Nut is similar to a city car: it’s a scant 3400mm long, 1750mm wide and 1439mm tall.

Although there is seating for three, you can fold away the two rear outboard seats to increase boot space when travelling one-up.

Honda P-Nut: the engineering bit

Although Honda hasn’t specified an exact powertrain (ie this concept car is in make-believe land), it suggests that the P-Nut could use an internal combustion engine, hybrid-electric power or a pure battery EV solution.

We reckon they should stick an engine in fast. This thing is rear-engined and rear drive. And we all know that the best Hondas of recent years, the NSX and S2000, all drove the back axle not the front. Game on, Honda.

Porsche cancels Boxster/Cayman production contract, Magna wants cash

2009 Porsche Boxster S - Click above for high res image gallery

Shortly after the Boxster debuted in 1996, Porsche contracted with Valmet Automotive of Finland as a second production source for the sports car, and a few years later, employed the facili along with the Cayman coupe. In 2008 Porsche decided that it would shift that production contract from Valmet to Magna International and its assembly plant in Graz Austria. Today, with Porsche being subsumed into the Volkswagen Group, the sports car maker has decided to cancel the Magna deal. With Volkswagen now buying up the remains of Karmann, the Boxster and Cayman are now expected be built at the coachbuilder's factory in Osnabrueck, Germany.

Magna claims it has already invested a significant amount of money on development to prepare for production. As a result Magna is seeking €400 million in compensation from Porsche. There's no word from Stuttgart on its plans to repay Magna, but with VW's legal arm exercised and ready to go, the battle is sure to be drawn out over the coming months and years.

2009 Porsche Boxster S PDK

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