Shortly, manufacturers that will have success with the huge emerging autonomous vehicle market will be those who can gain the confidence and the imagination of the public. Embracing this concept, Honda recently debuted their self-driving car project – “Honda. Great Journey.”. They have invited the British design company, Map, to create an informational campaign combining Honda’s existing technological leadership with robotics, fuel cell technology, and solar panels with the wonder of passengers traveling around the world in environmentally specific autonomous vehicles. Honda’s intention was to introduce the coming of self-driving vehicles in a non-threatening fashion and do it with a sense of discovery and ease.
The “Honda. Great Journey” was inspired by the history of the longest migration, as early humanity moved out of Africa to populate the world. Map saw their epic journey of over 50, 000 km as affected by different climates and physical barriers. From this point of view, Map focused on seven specific environments and the particular self-driving cars designed to cope with each challenge. Their fanciful solutions include grasslands (Safari Drifter); deserts (the Desert Train); mountains (the Mountain Climber); seas (the Island Hopper); jungles (the Jungle Jumper); highways (the Road Tripper); and snow (the Tundra Sled). All of the solutions share a common theme; they are self-driven, with generous cabin space, and spectacularly broad fields of vision. This way, the user can achieve the dream of bathing, cooking, and enjoying the fantastic scenery of nature all at the same time.
In the film, the Map-created realistic natural scenarios and respective miniature car models aptly demonstrate the concept of autonomous cars and how they can conquer harsh environments in the real world. For instance, the Desert Train operates in a train-like mode with Caterpillar treads and a double-engine powered by Honda’s fuel cell technology. Fitted with an open kitchen, stereo sound, and an extended roof, the Desert Train suggests a strong nomadic style and introduces a new form of travel for the user. Another standout concept is the Mountain Climber, wearing the colors of the Honda N360 from the 70’s. Constructed to withstand falling rocks and landslides, the Mountain Climber ensures users of a peaceful and protected trip. In particular, the car has four mechanical legs, developed from Honda’s robotic arm technology. When the roads are too rugged or unusable, the four legs can be extended so the car can ‘climb’ over the mountain road obstacles. These concepts, which respond correctly to different geographic conditions, not only challenges the presumptions that people have of adventure travel but also vastly broadens possible personal travel in the future, and is certainly the most charming aspect of the “Honda. Great Journey” project.
