Honda announced the opening of its expanded research and development center in Silicon Valley, but what really caught our attention from the pics provided, was an old prototype with peculiar proportions.
In fact, it reminded us of the set of leaked patent images, featuring an unknown mid-engine Honda.

Granted, the design language of both creations is fairly similar, although the overall looks differ greatly. No, really, don’t get your hopes up because, according to Jalopnik, that’s just an old design study made by Honda’s L.A. advance design studio, as a Honda Spokesman stated:

It’s a three year old design study made by our LA advance design studio. It’s on permanent display in the lobby of our Silicon Valley R&D facility, and was on display at our press conference last week. It’s not an S2000 or baby NSX, but it is an indication that our designers continually dream about sports cars.

That said, maybe the concept is a glimpse of Honda’s future design approach, or perhaps the foundation from which various upcoming models will draw inspiration. Don’t forget, the Acura NSX was also penned at Honda’s advance design studio, and those guys are really constant with their design-language.

The Japanese car manufacturer is present in the region since 2000, but with the expansion of its research facility it will focus more on developing new technologies, researching and prototyping game-changing innovations and harness new ideas and technology through the Xcelerator program.

The latter, is an initiative concentrated on providing resources and funding to innovators who seek to transform the automotive experience and industry. Basically, the idea of the program is based on a collaborative workspace between Honda and various companies looking to develop interesting ideas and prototypes.

The facility’s current program involves connected mobility research, novel human-machine interfaces, computer science research for vehicle intelligence and supporting app developers. In fact, the latest project to come out tweaked from Honda’s Silicon Valley development center is the 2016 Honda Accord, which we featured not so long ago.

The Accord will be the first Honda model to feature both Apple Car Play and Android Auto.

PHOTO GALLERY