Unique to Japan, the tiny Honda N-Van Compo comes with a roof tent and amazingly fits 4 people

K-Campers are known for packing a lot into a tiny space. Unique to Japan, the K-Campers is a type of Kei car, a Japanese vehicle category for the smallest highway-legal passenger cars that are built with restricted dimensions and engine capacity.

Designer: Honda

The ultimate microcar, K-Campers host an array of multifunctional features that help make the tiny space feel a lot roomier. Upgrading from the Vamos and Acty vans, Honda Japan released the N-Van Compo, a Kei Van Camper that sleeps four with the help of an expandable roof.

Reaching 133.7 inches in length, the N-Van Compo is 20.4 inches shorter than Mazda MX-5 Miata, but the size can be deceiving. Converting the classic N-Van into a compact camper van, the N-Van Compo finds space with modular and multifunctional interiors. When driving, the N-Van Compo can be operated like any other motor vehicle only to transform into a sleeping space when put in park.

When camping, passengers of the N-Van Compo can create sleeping accommodations by turning the driver’s seat around and spreading the mattress modules out in line to make room for one taller and one shorter person to sleep comfortably. When it comes to the van’s interior configuration, interested buyers have three options: Style-One, Style-Two, and Cabin.

Getting the most bang for your buck, Style-One provides some overhead storage, two sinks, a freshwater tank, microwave, small refrigerator, solar panel, foldable table, and a set of screen doors. The expandable roof can be accessed from the van’s sleeping area and is also included in the van’s Style-Two configuration.

Only changing the location of the kitchen to be on one side entirely, Style-Two hosts the same array of amenities as Style-One. The final option, Cabin, gives buyers the option of keeping the expandable roof, microwave, and refrigerator, but ditches the sink to make room for sleeping and storage.

The post Unique to Japan, the tiny Honda N-Van Compo comes with a roof tent and amazingly fits 4 people first appeared on Yanko Design.

Toyota plans dialed-back launch of eQ and iQ EV city cars in December

Toyota plans limited launch of eQ and iQ EV in December

Toyota's just-arrived RAV4 EV will soon get a much smaller cousin -- albeit a very elusive one. An electric version of the iQ city car will arrive in Japan (as the eQ) and the US (as the iQ EV) this December, but the automaker is significantly scaling back its 2010 promises of several thousand cars sold per year to just 100 fleet-oriented vehicles. The charging times, costs and range of EVs "do not meet society's needs," vice chairman Takeshi Uchiyamada says to explain the smaller ambitions. It's easy to understand the cautious approach after seeing the car's final details. While they're not out of line with the specs of other EVs, the eQ's 3-hour fast charge, 62-mile range and ¥3.6 million ($46,130) price wouldn't have regular customers flocking to dealerships. Most of Toyota's energy is instead being funneled into its tried-and-true hybrids, with 21 due on the market by 2015, as well as plans to deliver the company's first hydrogen fuel cell car by the same year. Eco-conscious drivers may be disappointed that Toyota isn't moving as aggressively into a pure electric realm as some of its rivals, but we'd rather see smartly planned baby steps than an overly risky plunge.

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Toyota plans dialed-back launch of eQ and iQ EV city cars in December originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 24 Sep 2012 13:17:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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