Space also for the engines Milan Design Week: at the Vanity Fair ‘Social Garden’ we were able to attend the launch of Honda Civic e:HEV Full Hybrid. A preview showing the style of the new hybrid car, which fully embodies the philosophy of Honda’s “human-centric”where design and technology are at the service of the driver.
Honda Civic e: HEV Full Hybrid protagonist at Milan Design Week
In the Milanese morning we sheltered from the sun in the Spazio Bergognone 26the courtyard full of flowers and nature in which Vanity Fair he organized his own ‘Social Garden’ for Milan Design Week. Among the tables and the greenery of the market flower triumphed Honda Civic e: HEV, protagonist of the morning.
Simone Mattogno, General Manager of Honda’s Auto Division for Italy, explains that: “We are delighted to be able to share the new Civic with the Italian public for the first time. The response for the car so far has been exceptional and hosting it at Milan Design Week gives an opportunity to show it to our design-conscious customers ”.
Among these are the director of Vanity Fair Simone Marchetti, The “host” of the event, who wanted to combine car design with that of the house. In fact he interviewed Diego Thomasdesigner and well-known face of Cortesie for guests, to talk about how design choices can put humanity at the center.
Man-Maximum, Machine-Minimum
The eleventh generation of Civic focuses on the person, faithful to the development principle of Honda who wants to design the car starting from those who drive it. Even taking care of the details, for example increasing the amount of light in the cabin by moving the seat cushions slightly backwards, or by placing the on-board display at eye leveli of those who drive.
But as Thomas notes, comparing the car even to the old Civic that was his first automobile, this new model has ustrong horizontalitya character sporty. In fact, it has an almost coupé aesthetic, with a lower roofline and wider windows to increase visibility. Without distorting tradition: with the eye of a designer Thomas points out that they still exist many ‘analog’ elements in the car, without diminishing the smart features of the Honda Civic and: HEV.
A sportier line that remains “human-centric” in the interior design. No excessive frills, quality of materials (which Diego Thomas defines ‘sincere’instead of the excessive plastic found in many other cars).
50 years of Honda Civic, but looking to the future
The Civic has shown a new way to experience the car already fifty years ago. In the meantime it has sold over 27.5 million of cars in 170 countries. A piece of history that is renewed: Honda Civic e: HEV arrives in autumn 2022. And although admiring the design has captured our interest, test the engine full-hybrid on the street it will be even more interesting.
But at the Social Garden Simone Marchetti wanted to provoke both the Honda team and Diego Thomas about the future. What will cars be like in 20 years? How will we live the houses?
Honda already has the path laid out in front of it for fifty years: the future will be increasingly human-centric. But the main challenges will be two. On the one hand, he continues it electrification, also with the search for alternative ecological fuels (a reference to hydrogen?). On the other, the challenge of “Zero Collision“. Although Honda puts millions of vehicles on the road, artificial intelligence will be able to increasingly reduce the danger of transport: a battle that we must win.
Diego Thomas, on the other hand, remains more vague about the future of the house. Architecture takes longer, but today we are already seeing an attention to natural materials, to ecology. A zero-emission future, also in which homes produce energy through solar panels. But inside there will be more and more space for beauty, emphasizing how building on a personal scale means not only ergonomics, but also giving space to emotions.
Something that Honda itself takes up, saying its Man-Maximum, Machine-Minimum aims to leave space for the dreams of those who drive, true protagonist of car and home design. The person is therefore the real protagonist of the Milan Design Week. Find out more about the Honda Civic and: HEV here.