Honda has been praised for maintaining its Super Cub motorcycle’s shape and character for over half a century, but a new concept shows a drastic shift in design. Honda recently revealed its lineup for the 2015 Tokyo Motor Show, and it includes two new variants of the venerable bike: the Super Cub and EV-Cub concepts. And though the Cub’s heritage is in the lines and details, there are some significant changes, particularly the EV-Cub’s electric motor.
How does Honda replace the powertrain without upsetting the bike’s low weight and beloved handling characteristics? What the carmaker did is place the heavy battery in a low and central position, lowering the center of gravity. This also makes it easier to mount and dismount the bike. The battery is detachable, so the rider can take it inside their home and charge it from a standard wall socket.
The Super Cub concepts employ a more scooter-like stance than current production models. The colors hearken back to older examples, but the ten-spoke cast wheels are new. Y-shaped handlebars are integrated with the bodywork, and the instrument cluster features a blue digital display.
The current Honda Super Cub has sold 87 million units as of March 2014, making it the bestselling motor vehicle in history. That is more than the next three bestselling vehicles — the Toyota Corolla, Volkswagen Beetle and Ford Model T — combined. The Super Cub began production in 1958, and is currently manufactured in 15 factories in 14 countries. It is marketed in 160 countries.
Honda’s 1960s Super Cub ad campaign, featuring the slogan “You meet the nicest people on a Honda,” was so popular that it became a case study for students and advertisers alike.
In 2014, the Japanese government issued its first three-dimensional vehicle trademark registration to the Super Cub. That’s right, the actual shape of the bike is now its own brand.
The Tokyo Motor Show will run from October 29 to November 8. We will be bringing you more motoring news as the event approaches.
BYD has launched the third-generation Qin Plus DM-i in China, and the first thing that caught my eye is its price. According to CarNewsChina, the plug-in hybrid sedan starts at 79,900 yuan, which is about $11,980. That’s an incredibly low price for a brand-new car, especially by US standards.
What’s even more impressive is the range. The Qin Plus DM-i can drive up to 137 miles on electricity alone, which should cover most people’s daily commutes without using a drop of gas. Once the battery runs out, the 1.5-liter engine takes over. Thanks to its 17-gallon tank and roughly 91 mpg with a drained battery, the combined range reaches up to 1,423 miles.
Apple won the PC market’s worst quarter, but that’s not the entire story. It won the race by stumbling less than everyone else.
PC makers shipped just 57 million computers worldwide in Q3, which might look good, but it’s a 21% year-over-year plunge (via Counterpoint Research). And despite Apple’s Mac shipments falling by 11%, to 5.6 million, its market share rose from 8.7% to 9.8%. How did that happen?
Update (October 22 23:54 PT): In response to our query, GM clarified that offline recording support is already available on eligible vehicles. Like Tesla's Sentry Mode, it requires owners to connect a USB drive to save incident recordings, which can be viewed on the vehicle's infotainment screen. The upcoming Connected Cameras feature will build on this by giving owners remote access to these recordings via the revamped OnStar app, allowing them to check footage without walking out to their car.
General Motors has announced plans to add a new Connected Cameras feature to its OnStar service starting next year, giving drivers a way to monitor parked vehicles remotely and capture footage of certain incidents.