What supports the foundation of Honda's car making is a “human-centric” thinking, passed down generation after generation among Honda engineers. This way of thinking is represented by the M/M (Man Maximum, Machine Minimum) concept, which calls for maximizing the space available for people and minimizing the space required for mechanical components.
The M/M concept is a basic approach to Honda car design that Honda engineers settled on after exhaustive consideration through the pursuit of ideal car design while thinking outside of the box. Based on this concept, Honda has always put the joy of customers first and developed its vehicles to realize the value customers expect of Honda cars at a level beyond customer expectations.
The origin of the M/M concept: N360
N360S
The origin of the M/M concept can be traced back to the N360, which Honda introduced to market (Japan) in March 1967. Honda, which started as a motorcycle manufacturer, gained a foothold in the automobile market in August 1963, by introducing the T360, a truck that complied with mini-vehicle specifications, the smallest vehicle category in Japan. Then, two months later, in October 1963, Honda introduced the S500, a two-seater open-top sports car.
To solidify its foothold in the automobile market, Honda needed to offer a passenger car that would be accepted by a broader range of customers. This led to the development of the N360. As a latecomer in the mini-vehicle market, Honda needed to offer a vehicle with an appeal that competing models did not have. At the time, it was common sense that mini-vehicles had a tight cabin. So, the Honda development team set out to secure the largest cabin space possible within the mini-vehicle framework of the time, with an overall vehicle length of 3m and the width of 1.3m.
To ensure that four adults could be comfortably seated, the design of the N360 started with the cabin section. In order to maximize the cabin space, the powertrain had to be small. To accommodate this need, a compact, lightweight and air-cooled 2-cylinder OHC engine was developed, and a FF (front-engine/front-wheel drive) layout was chosen for the N360. Unlike FR (front-engine/rear-wheel drive), which places the engine in the front and drives only the rear wheels, the FF system eliminates the need to run the propeller shaft under the floor, which makes it possible to secure a larger cabin space. The compact 4-speed transmission, placed in-line next to the engine, was developed while leveraging the technologies Honda amassed in the development of motorcycles.
In May 1967, only two months after the start of sales in March, the N360 became the best-selling mini-vehicle in Japan with sales of 5,571 units, then maintained best-selling mini-vehicle status for the next 44 months. This outstanding sales result was proof that N360’s spacious cabin, seating four adults with excellent occupant comfort, all made possible by the M/M concept, were well received by a large number of the customers.
The cutaway model of the N360 exhibited at the 14th Tokyo Motor Show in 1967
Realizing a spacious cabin by devising an innovative engine layout: Life
Honda Life Light Van Custom
In June 1971, the Life, the successor model to the N360, went on sale. This mini-vehicle was designed to be useful in the daily lives of happy families. The development team incorporated the advanced M/M concept and strived to secure a spacious cabin within the small body with overall length of 3 m by devising an innovative engine layout.
The Life featured an in-line 2-cylinder OHC engine mounted transversely at the front of the vehicle, which was the same layout as its predecessor, the N360. However, the engine was changed from air-cooled to water-cooled, and the camshaft drive was changed from a chain to a cogged belt, which was rare among Japanese cars at the time. Moreover, the adoption of a balancer shaft greatly reduced noise and vibration compared to the N360.
Unlike the N360, the 4-door type was made available for the Life. The spacious cabin created based on the M/M concept and the offering of the 4-door type, which made the cabin space easy to use, significantly enhanced the value of the Honda Life as a family car.
Vehicle dimensions
The “world’s standard car” based on the M/M concept: Civic
Civic 2-Door DX
N360 and Life were developed to comply with Japan’s mini-vehicle standards and became considered as “Japan's standard cars.” Then, Honda developed the Civic, first introduced to market in July 1972, with an aim to make it the “world’s standard car.” Building on the proven track record with the N360 and Life, it was a natural move for Honda to adopt a package that combined the “two-box” type body and FF powertrain, aiming to create a new “standard car.”
Since the Civic was developed to be a standard car that would be competitive in the world market, there was no need to comply with body dimensions within the framework of the Japanese mini-vehicle standards. However, from the perspective of vehicle weight, aerodynamic effect and affordability, the overall vehicle length and width were kept to a minimum, and packaging was pursued to secure a spacious cabin that comfortably seats four adults.
To avoid unnecessary enlargement of the body, the Civic development team set the distance from the rear edge of the front wheel arches to the front edge of the rear wheel arches same as that of the Life. Since the Civic was equipped with larger tires and wheels than the Life, the wheelbase was extended to 2,200mm, 120mm longer than the Life.
Due to the dimensional constraints of mini-vehicles, the N360 and Life could not provide sufficient luggage space, whereas the Civic featured a practical luggage space while keeping the overall vehicle length to 3,405mm (3-door type). As for the vehicle width, compared to the width of the Life, which was 1,295mm, the Civic was 210mm wider with the overall width of 1,505mm, which greatly contributed to an increase in the amount of cabin space. The adoption of the tray-type dashboard with no oppressive feeling was another reason customers felt the spaciousness of the cabin as soon as they entered the vehicle.
As for the suspension, from the perspective of operability, the development team decided to adopt a four-wheel independent suspension and explored different types of suspensions. After due consideration, the team decided to adopt strut suspensions for both front and rear. Installing the rear strut suspensions would have caused the struts to encroach on the cabin space for the rear passengers. The development team addressed this issue and secured passenger comfort by tilting the struts backward and laid them out to match the angle of the seatbacks.
The development team explored multiple engine size options that fit within the displacement range of 1,000cc and 1,500cc. From the perspective of economic efficiency and driving performance, a 1,200cc in-line 4-cylinder engine was adopted. At the time of the initial introduction, only a 4-speed manual transmission was available. So, a type was added to the lineup that featured the Hondamatic, Honda’s original lightweight and high-efficiency automatic transmission.
The Civic, developed through the unwavering conviction of the development team, was well received by customers all around the world due to its clear concept realized by pursuing the M/M concept. Becoming a huge global hit, Honda’s vision to create the “world’s standard car” was fulfilled.
See-through illustration of the Civic
The M/M concept that enabled cabin space one class above: Accord
Accord Hatchback LX
The Accord, introduced in May 1976, was a model that took the M/M concept to a new realm. It adopted the M/M concept applied in the same way as the development of the Civic, then added the pursuit of more occupant comfort. While the Civic was designed under the theme of “standard,” the Accord was built with the theme of “leeway.”
To secure cabin space one class above Civic, the wheelbase was set at 2,380mm, 100mm longer than that of the Civic 4-door type; however, the front and rear overhangs were shortened to meet the overall vehicle length target. In this well-thought-out body, advanced features at that time, such as power steering and an air conditioning unit were incorporated to enhance occupant comfort, taking the M/M concept into a new realm.
In order to achieve driving performance with ample power, the displacement of the in-line 4-cylinder engine was increased to 1,600cc, an increase of 100 to 400cc compared to Civic models. The displacement can be increased either by expanding the bore or by extending the stroke, but when the powertrain is mounted transversely, there is a limit to how much the bore can be expanded due to dimensional constraints in the left-right direction. The increase from 1,500cc to 1,600cc was realized by the extension of the stroke, but compared to the Civic’s 1,200cc engine, the expansion of the bore was kept to a minimum (4mm) while addressing the cooling issue, and the space between adjacent cylinders has been tightened, contributing to the shortening of the overall engine length. This was one of the specific examples of how the M/M concept was applied in the development of Honda vehicles.
See-through illustration of the Accord
The “Tall Boy” that defied conventional wisdom: City
City E
In November 1981, the City was introduced to market (Japan), featuring a vehicle length of 3,380mm, the shortest body of any Japan-made models at the time, excluding mini-vehicles. The development team set a target for the small body size (footprint) most appropriate for city transportation. Based on the size target, the development team implemented a space design with the highest possible density based on the M/M concept. Under current mini-vehicle standards, the maximum vehicle length is set at 3,400mm (It was 3,200mm at the time City was introduced), so City's body was shorter than that of a mini-vehicle in today's terms. The wheelbase of 2,220mm was comparable to that of the first-generation Civic.
The overall width of the City was 1,570mm, also equivalent to the Civic of that time. So, the most distinctive feature of the City was its height, which was set at 1,47mm, 120mm higher than that of the Civic. The City was designed with an image of an “American football (spherical object) with wheels on four corners,” and nicknamed “Tall Boy” for its distinctive form.
For the development of the City, veteran engineers deliberately refrained from getting involved, and the project team composed of young engineers with an average age of 27 was entrusted with the entire development process. Back then, it was conventional to design cars with low vehicle height; however, thinking outside the box, the project team started development with an idea of what would happen if the interior volume was increased by increasing the vehicle height.
Taking advantage of cabin space with ample height, the seating positions were set higher than those of a conventional passenger car, offering visibility with a sense of looking down from a higher eye level. Moreover, the hip-point was also set high, contributing to the ease of getting in and out of the vehicle. In addition, the upright seating posture enabled the occupant to use more space in the front and rear directions. To make the cabin space look more spacious, low-back seats, significantly lowering the top edge of the seatback, were adopted. The addition of an open space at the bottom of the seatback enhanced ventilation while also reducing weight by eliminating all unnecessary elements.
For the newly-developed strut-type rear suspension, the coil spring was decoupled from the damper and mounted on the lower arm, which reduced the amount the suspension protruded into the cabin space, contributing to the enhancement of the spaciousness and usability of the cabin for rear seat passengers and luggage space. The flat luggage space was also designed to accommodate the Honda Motocompo, a folding scooter developed concurrently with the City, symbolizing City's unique, out-of-the-box character.
See-through illustration of the City
Loading the Motocompo into the City
Original packaging that leveraged the M/M concept: Odyssey
Odyssey L
In Japan, the popularity of passenger cars with three rows of seats had been on the rise since the late 1980s. These models included vehicles with a one-box body configuration developed based on commercial vehicles with the engine mounted under the floor, and minivan type models featuring a short front hood.
The Odyssey, launched in October 1994, combined the space utility of a one-box vehicle with the comfortable driving experience of a sedan. In order to efficiently develop a Honda-style 3-row passenger car, many components were taken from the FF Accord. This resulted in a vehicle height limitation in relation to sharing of production facilities. The first-generation Odyssey featured a vehicle height of 1,645mm, which was more than 200mm higher than Accord, which served as the base model, but was overwhelmingly lower than conventional minivans. However, even with such a height limitation, the Odyssey was developed based on the M/M concept and secured absolute spaciousness and realized outstanding occupant comfort.
The wheelbase was extended by 115mm to 2,830mm to accommodate the three rows of seats, and all other specifications, including the vehicle length of 4,750mm, were formulated based on the aim of securing spaciousness equivalent to that of Accord for each seat. To realize a flat and low floor running from the first row to the tailgate, a thin and flat fuel tank was developed and mounted under the second-row seats. With such ingenuity, a cabin height of 1,200mm was secured, enabling the occupants to move smoothly inside the cabin. Moreover, the theater-style floor, which gradually rises toward the rear was adopted to ensure great visibility for second and third-row passengers.
The typical third-row seats at the time were folded up to the side; however, to secure more expansive visibility and larger luggage space, the Odyssey featured a structure to store third-row seats underneath the floor.
Like the base Accord, the double wishbone front suspension was mounted high so that the upper arm was positioned above the tire. On the other hand, the double wishbone rear suspension featured an “in-wheel layout” where the upper arm also fit inside the wheel. This layout reduced how much the suspension protruded into the cabin.
In the hope of becoming a vehicle which would create new lifestyles for people, the Odyssey was nicknamed the “Creative Mover.” Honda’s original packaging that leveraged the M/M concept, enabled the creation of new value with the low-floor, low-vehicle height design, leading to the cultivation of new demand and creation of a new lifestyle people enjoy with their vehicle.
Image of one of the seat arrangement options (7-seater type with a bench seat)
The center tank layout created based on the M/M concept: Fit
Fit A F-Package
Honda developed the Fit, launched in June 2001, with the determination to create a vehicle which would set a new benchmark for small cars.
The key technology was the “center tank layout,” which positions the fuel tank in the center of the vehicle body. The fuel tank was made thinner and moved from underneath the rear seats to underneath the front seats, which lowered the floor level and created more legroom for the rear seat passengers. The cabin height of the Fit was 1,280mm, which was higher than that of the Odyssey. Moreover, the removal of the fuel tank from underneath the rear seats created space underneath the rear seat cushions. By folding down the rear seats into that space, a long and flat luggage space would be provided.
The torsion beam rear suspension was newly developed to make the cargo area floor wider and lower. By moving the torsion beam forward to form a H-shape and positioning the coil springs lower, the cargo area floor was lowered as much as 220mm and the cargo area width was increased by 82mm, compared to the Honda Logo, a predecessor model of the Fit.
The 1.3L in-line 4-cylinder engine was newly developed in conjunction with Fit development. The pursuit of combustion efficiency resulted in the world's highest fuel economy at the time (23.9 km/L for Fit Type W, FF model, measured in the10-15 mode). The new engine was downsized by 120mm in the front-back direction and 70mm in the left-right direction, and it was also made lighter by approximately 8% compared to the previous version of the Honda 1.3L engine. This compact engine contributed to an increase in cabin space and the realization of the short-nose proportion. Moreover, it made it possible to secure a sufficient steering angle for the front wheels to realize excellent handling with a minimum turning radius of 4.7m for the Fit model equipped with 14-inch tires.
To fit in the typical parking structures in Japan, which have a vehicle height limit of 1,550mm, the vehicle height of the Fit was set at 1,525mm (3,830mm vehicle length, 1,675mm vehicle width and 2,450mm wheelbase). Honda engineers concluded that the only way to increase the volume of the cabin while keeping this vehicle height was to lower the floor. That was how Honda’s original center tank layout was devised.
The center tank layout became the basis for packaging that defied the conventional wisdom of small cars. It is inherited by the latest version of the Fit and is also being applied to an increasing number of mini-vehicle models, including the N-BOX. The M/M concept, which has been passed down generation after generation of Honda models, will continue to contribute to the ability of people to enjoy mobility more freely and comfortably.
Illustration explaining Fit packaging
