taken from: http://world.honda.com/news/2006/4060223ZEST/

Honda Announces New ZEST Minicar

TOKYO, Japan, February 23, 2006 - Honda Motor Co., Ltd. announced the introduction of the new ZEST minicar, created to enhance the active lifestyles of today’s consumers and provide comfort and utility for the entire family. The ZEST delivers superior power and performance, while its efficient low-floor design and generous storage area with a convenient access bay help give it class leading spacious cabin1. The new ZEST will be available for sale through Honda’s automobile dealer network in Japan starting March 1. Further, a ZEST equipped with a tilt-up sliding front passenger seat and wheelchair-accessible models will be available starting March 17.


The ZEST was developed as a minicar that can satisfy both individual and family users in a variety of occasions including daily shopping and weekend leisure activities. The key to the design of the ZEST is Honda’s unique low-floor platform technology, which results in a high-capacity storage area with a maximum of 739 liters2 of space accessed via one of the lowest tailgates in its class1. In addition, ZEST achieves a spacious cabin with a height equivalent to StepWGN. The ZEST features Honda’s i-DSI engine or i-DSI turbocharged engine, combined with a 4-speed electronically controlled automatic transmission to deliver strong and smooth performance in accelerating from low and medium speeds to higher speed ranges.

The ZEST also offers a full range of advanced safety features. In addition to being the first minicar1 to be equipped with a front and rear side curtain airbag system, the ZEST also features Honda’s Advanced Compatibility Engineering (ACE) body for significantly enhanced self-protection and damage mitigation in vehicle-to-vehicle collisions. Regarding environmental performance, all FWD models have earned Japanese Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport certification as Low-Emissions Vehicles, with emission levels 75% lower than those required by 2005 standards, while some models meet or exceed Japanese government fuel economy standards for 2010 by 5%.

The ZEST also comes fully equipped with a range of advanced features for enhanced passenger comfort and peace of mind, including Honda’s HDD InterNavi system; newly-developed high-performance deodorizing air cleaning filters treated with anti-allergenic materials to control pollen and other allergens; and a security alarm and immobilizer for effective anti-theft protection

* The name ZEST denotes something spicy, stimulating, appealing, passionate, fun and full of flavor. This vehicle was named ZEST to represent the hope that owners will use it to enjoy stimulating fun and to enrich and broaden their lives.
1 Honda data
2 Honda calculations according to VDA formula




Smartkey system (access your car by pushing buttons while leaving your key in your pocket

High-intensity Discharge Headlights (HID) (hi-/low-beam with self-leveling mechanism)

Fully Automatic Air Conditioner (with allergen-free deodorizing air cleaning filters)

As much as I love the xB, Id buy this car over it if it came to the states some time soon.

 

sleepy time

 

I wonder how long till they make it here

 

Looks like an xA, xB, and tC got it on. I see parts of all three cars in it. I wonder where Honda got the idea to steal other designs from??

 

Please, all manufacturers steal designs from each other. You act like the Tc doesnt have derivative styling as well...

 

That was my point. I wasn't like "OMGWTFSECRETSAUCE tEh tC is teh 1337 design!"

 

the tc is nothing but stolen designs

 

I hope you are getting the sarcasm. Or does CARB have a rule against that too.

 

If the Mazda5 or Xb continue to sell well I can see Honda bringing this stateside soon.

 

i'd buy it.

 

too bad the new mazda 5 is just a miniturized mpv.

 

I don't think you could lean on that car.. it looks like it would tip over. the xB is a much better shape.

 

I guarantee with Navi, HID's, keyless Go, and auto A/C, that thing will not be in the xB price range.

 

looks like a miniature element/xb hybrid. but that car seems like it would cost quite a bit more than the xb, just from looking at the features alone.

"The ZEST features Honda’s i-DSI engine or i-DSI turbocharged engine" dont see too many hondas come out of the factory with a turbo option.

 

O__O, they're both boxes. There cant be a better box, thats like putting two tC's next to eachother and saying the one on the right is bettter.

hes right....

 

It just looks so top heavy. The the size of the top compared to what seems like 12" rims! And so narrow. The xB seems to at least look wider.

 

This is what they call a "K" car in other parts of the world. I'm going to asume that it puts out about 63hp, as most turbocharged K cars do.

Imagine that, a vehicle that weighs about as much as an xB with half the power.

Here in Tucson, we see these pint-sized cars every so often, as travelers from Mexico bring them up.