Box Rockin’ Beat: Honda Debuts Step Bus Concept In L.A.

John Mendel, Senior VP for American Honda, unleashed this Scion xB doppleganger at the L.A. Auto Show. Mid-engined and rear-wheel-driven, Honda’s Step Bus concept ain’t no Scion. But it does aim to please “high energy lifestyles” according to the automaker’s press release (available after the jump).

The Step’s bright interior can be easily accessed via sliding doors for its passengers and a rear door that opens upwardly. To further distinguish it from the xB, this mammajamma’s seats can all fold flat, which seems highly impractical for locomotive purposes. All-in, the Step’s quick-configuring interior is one of Honda’s key talking points for the concept: it’s highly adaptable.

(Click through to the jump for more details and photos)

PRESS RELEASE
LOS ANGELES, Nov. 29, 2006 – Designed around high energy lifestyles, the Honda Step Bus Concept represents the ultimate expression of Honda packaging prowess with a mid-engine design and a fully maximized and quickly adaptable interior.
The highly configurable, high-tech interior provides ultimate urban utility from the outside in. Sliding front doors with a space efficient design let people enter and exit in tight spaces. Although micro in exterior size, the cavernous interior can harbor large amounts of band equipment, sports gear and other bulky items.

“Following the traditional Honda theme of ‘man maximum, machine minimum,’ the Step Bus seeks to create the largest possible interior with the smallest possible exterior,” said John Mendel, senior vice president of American Honda Motor Co., Inc. “This innovative concept vehicle shows how large functionality can easily exist within small vehicle packages.”
The Step Bus Concept is a product of the Honda R&D Co., Ltd., Wako design center in Saitama prefecture, Japan. Purely a styling concept, the vehicle uses a mid-engine, rear wheel drive platform with a small displacement power plant. The 5-passenger interior features modular construction with a spacious interior. The modular construction is highlighted by tracks in the door that can hold beverage containers, cell phones and more. Advanced technology includes a next-generation navigation system. The tall body provides room for a ceiling-mounted storage tray. Painted in light green metallic, the body design embraces a bold vertical architecture style that creates a large presence within a small space.