Honda is taking the 2018 SEMA Show by storm with a
new concept called the Open Air Vehicle. Based on the same platform as the
Ridgeline pickup, it benefits from some of the features of the Pioneer 1000,
which in the company’s own words, “creates the ultimate open-air off-road Honda
adventure vehicle”.
It may be nothing more than a show car with no
chances of entering production, but the Open Air Vehicle uses some of Honda’s
existing components.
In addition to the Ridgeline underpinnings and
suspension, the off-road concept has the same doors as the Pioneer 1000
side-by-side. Additionally, it features a custom-designed bed and tailgate
panels said to have been modeled after the Pioneer.
The rugged characteristics of the exterior are being
carried over inside, where the automaker has prepped the entire cockpit “for a
life exposed to the outdoors”. This is where Honda adapted the Pioneer 1000
steering wheel to the Ridgeline’s steering column, and added some durable
paint-on surfaces that protect the exposed instrument panel from the elements.
Moreover, the study uses the same seats as the Civic
Type R, reupholstered in waterproof Pioneer 1000 material, and has smartphone
holders from RAM Mounts.
Honda’s Open Air Vehicle Concept can haul up to four
occupants, who will be strapped in by the racing-style harnesses, but the only
thing welcomed inside for now will be the artificial light at the Las Vegas
Convention Center.
