– Thenew Honda Civic e:HEV and the new Civic Type R awarded by the Red Dot jury for design quality and innovative drive
–The award-winning CB750 Hornet and XL750 Transalp underline the great design work of the Rome-based R&D department .
–The four Product Design Awards in 2023 bring the total number of titles won by Honda in four years to 13 .
Honda won two titles at the 2023 Red Dot Design Awards, awarded to the new Civic e:HEV and Civic Type R. The Tokyo-based manufacturer is also celebrating two more Red Dot Design Awards in the Motorcycle Division, for the CB750 Hornet and XL750 Transalp.
The Red Dot Design Awards are internationally renowned prizes that recognise design excellence in terms of aesthetics, functionality, practicality and innovation. The awards are presented by a panel of 50 international experts who test, evaluate and analyse each nomination, rewarding those with the most outstanding design and innovation. The criteria for the award are revised each year to reflect the latest technical, social, economic and ecological requirements.
“This year, Honda celebrates its 75th anniversary. And to win multiple Red Dot Awards in the Product Design category for the fourth consecutive year with our cars and motorbikes is fantastic, and a testament to our development processes. We believe in a unique human-centred approach to design and usability, and it is gratifying to see that focus reflected in the continued recognition at the Red Dot Design Awards,” comments Toshinobu Minami, COO, Design Centre, Honda R&D Co. Ltd. “These awards testify to the commitment of our design and R&D teams responsible for the products, who put the users – our customers – at the centre of their work. Honda will continue to create ‘exhilarating’ designs for their future products, always maintaining their human-centric approach.”
The new e:HEV hatchback has followed the “exhilarating Civic” development concept focusing on the integration of the interior and exterior to create the most comfortable and original experience possible that enhances everyday life. Civic is the latest model to adopt Honda’s minimal and elegant design direction. It boasts a longer wheelbase, a lower, sleeker roofline and a lowered beltline to increase the car’s overall glazing. This not only improves outward visibility but also offers the same sense of space and airiness found in the original Civic. Honda’s well-established ‘Man-Maximum, Machine-Minimum’ (M/M) development principle has resulted in a modern and entirely user-focused design that emphasises colour, high-quality materials and tactile sensations to offer a complete and satisfying experience. The ingenious integration of the hybrid system into the chassis guarantees uncompromising interior spaciousness despite the sporty lines.
The new Civic Type R, developed on the “Ultimate Sports 2.0” Concept, boasts a sporty and elegant line, improved over the standard model. The exterior is characterised by a classically racy design, emphasised by wider wheel arches, 19-inch high-rigidity light-alloy wheels and a rear wing with revised shape and aerodynamic functionality. The interior of the new Type R pays homage to the iconic models that preceded it, with red upholstery and ergonomic sports seats, which join the new gear knob and touch display of the new Infotainment system. On two wheels, the all-new CB750 Hornet won a Product Design Award. This sporty naked bike with its iconic name and sharp design boasts an all-new 755 cc parallel-twin engine set in a new diamond-shaped steel frame. Honda’s Rome-based style centre designed the CB750 Hornet as a contemporary expression of technical beauty, compact proportions and elegant shapes encased in a purely aggressive design. Its most distinctive feature is the tank, inspired by the shape of the hornet’s wing, which perfectly embodies the muscularity and performance typical of a Streetfighter.
The new XL750 Transalp also received top honours from the Red Dot jury. This adventure icon, back in Honda’s line-up after a 10-year absence, offers new generations of riders a comfortable rally-tourer ready for anything. Equipped with the same 755cc parallel-twin engine as the Hornet, it conceptually recalls the iconic 1987 XL600V Transalp and adds modern styling and comfort with a compact fairing and large windscreen for a perfect balance of aerodynamics and wind protection. This year’s achievements bring the number of Red Dot Design Awards won by Honda to 13 since 2020, including the ‘Best of the Best’ title for Honda e, which has since been on display alongside the CBR1000RR Fireblade SP at the Red Dot Design Museum in Essen, Germany, one of the world’s leading contemporary design exhibitions.
Honda
Founded in 1948, Honda Motor Company Ltd is the world’s leading vehicle manufacturer. It manufactures motorbikes, scooters, automobiles, outboard motors, garden-agri-industry products and aeroplanes for private transport, with the aim of providing high quality products at an affordable price, using the latest technology, to continue to be a company that ‘society wants to exist’. Through the humanoid robot Asimo and other cutting-edge technology applications, Honda is active in robotics at the highest level. In addition, it is officially involved in all major motorsport competitions worldwide. Honda is headquartered in Tokyo, Japan, with 67 factories in 25 countries and over 242,000 employees, serving 30 million customers each year. Honda’s commitment to environmental protection includes the electrification of its car range by 2022. The launch of the ‘e:technology’ logo is the hallmark of all car, motorbike and power products that will use electric propulsion. Serving people around the world with the ‘joy of expanding the potential of their lives’ is the core principle guiding Honda’s actions for its Vision 2030, a concrete commitment reflected in all its creations and projects. Honda invests more than 5% of its global turnover in Research and Development, pursuing the highest standards of passive and active safety and training to ensure the well-being of customers and society. In Italy, Honda is present with the sales branch in Rome (Honda Motor Europe Ltd. Italy) and the production plant in Atessa-Chieti (Honda Italia Industriale S.p.A.). honda.it
