TOKYO, Japan, November 26, 2012 - Honda Motor Co., Ltd. announced that the N BOX, a mini-vehicle achieving one of the largest cabin space among mini-vehicles^*1 through adoption of a newly designed platform and powerplant, and the N BOX +, the second vehicle in the N Series concept of "adding new possibilities," have been awarded the Good Design Gold Award (Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry Minister's Award)^*2, selected from among the winners at the Good Design Award 2012 sponsored by the Japan Institute of Design Promotion.

The Judging Committee said, "Honda has sought to do a makeover, first of its mini-vehicles and then all cars. The company desires to develop something that everyone finds easy to use, by studiously observing Japanese people, town layouts, and lifestyles. Because Honda believes this series will change people's lives and way of living, they aspire to deliver more and more vehicles in the Honda N Series. Although mini-vehicles are limited by size, the N Series realizes a large cabin space going beyond the general idea of a mini vehicle and is developed on a new platform and powerplant created by reaching back to the starting point of making automobiles that embody the 'man maximum, machine minimum' concept. The N Series also achieves excellent driving performance and fuel economy at the same time thanks to the newly designed engine and transmission together with the idle stop mechanism."

The Good Design Awards constitute the sole system of awards in Japan for comprehensive evaluation and commendation of design. The system investigates the level of design quality including new ideas for living as well as basic requirements including design excellence, function, quality, and safety. For more details, please visit the Japan Institute of Design Promotion website.
(Official website of the Japan Institute of Design Promotion – http://www.g-mark.org/?locale=en)