Honda W.O.W. Concept

Believe it or not, Honda W.O.W. stands for Wonderful Open-hearted Wagon, and this small minivan concept caters to Japan's dog-loving fraternity. The W.O.W. has three rows of thin designer seats mounted on a wooden floor. Six people can ride in style or the two second-row seats can transform into a flexible dog cover. Honda has also built another (small) dog storage bin into the left side of the dashboard. Slightly smaller than a Civic, the 157-inch W.O.W. has front and rear sliding doors on either side and a pair of big commercial-style doors at the back. Honda provided no engine details, but should the W.O.W. make it into production, it would likely have a 1.5-liter four. An innovative canine brain receiver (CBR) allows dogs to pilot the W.O.W. by looking in the direction they want to drive. A brain-wave transponder reads the image the dog sees and transposes it over satellite imagery to plot a course using GPS signals. Honda claims the liability issues usually associated with this fledgling technology are mitigated by having a dog at the helm--canines can't be sued. If you believed this last paragraph, however, we recommend counseling, and not for Fido.