Honda will fully remodel the Freed and release it in June. The new model is available in two unique body types, and its exterior has been designed to convey the Freed’s most distinctive features, such as its packaging and ease of use, at a glance. How did you achieve this? We asked the designer.
◆Freed-ness is “good packaging and size”
Masahiro Sagawa was in charge of the exterior design of the new Honda Freed.
Masahiro Sagawa of the Honda R&D Design Center, who was in charge of the exterior design, also worked on minor changes to the previous Freed. He says, “I got to know Freed’s customers well (with the minor changes), so I was really looking forward to working with them,” he says happily.
“I designed the car with the customer in mind, and the first thing I wanted to do was create a car for that person.I wanted to create a design that would convey to the people who would use it properly, not the designer’s ego.”
It seems that many of the members of this development team fit into Freed’s target group, including their age group.“This is the kind of car that everyone would buy.My child has just started kindergarten or elementary school,” he says. So, even when my wife is riding around, I want a car that suits her, rides confidently and gracefully, and blends in around town, but doesn’t have any individuality. “I designed it while doing so,” he says.
Honda Freed new model (air)
Mr. Sagawa says that the “Freed-ness” is “good packaging and size.” In terms of design, “Since the first generation, it has had a unique silhouette that is unique to Freed.That’s what makes Freed unique.” For example, “Although it has good visibility and a wide space that makes it easy to drive, it is compactly packed.However, the overall silhouette has a forward momentum that makes it easy to drive around town. We unravel each of these points one by one and make them look stylish.”
At the same time, “I think about the design of the light body from a very functional point of view.When a clear, simple shape lights up, it’s really eye-opening, and above all, it’s easy to notice.On top of that, I design it with interesting shapes and placement. This is what I wanted to do the most.”
◆”Good stance” and “rigidity”
Honda Freed new model (air)
The keywords in the design of the new Freed are “good stance” and “rigidity.” Regarding this point, Mr. Sagawa said, “Since it is equipped with an e:HEV (hybrid) and the suspension has been adjusted, it feels very smooth and smooth when driving. “I wanted it to look exactly like that car,” he says, revealing that he wanted to convey the feeling of driving through the exterior design as well. Therefore, “By keeping the center of gravity a little lower than the current model, we could express a firm stance and feel as if we were running parallel to the ground.We designed the car with that in mind.”
Also, the stance when viewed from the rear is trapezoidal, but the bottom part is narrowed inward, so you can see the tires a little more. By showing off the tires, we achieve (a good stance).” At the same time, the position of the combination lamps has been lowered slightly to give the impression of a lower center of gravity.
It seems that they also paid attention to its hardness. “If the design itself is kept simple, it may look cheap or look like a commercial vehicle, but it is important to make each line stand out sharply and make sure that the lines follow the shape as much as possible. So, I was conscious of making sure that it was finished as an industrial product.Since this is a car that will be used by a family, I had to give it a feeling that I had bought a good product, so I was very careful about that. ” he told me.
Honda Freed new model (air)
The Freed has a thick character line that goes all the way around the car from the rear end of the headlights, and something as bold as this is rarely seen on other companies’ cars. Mr. Sagawa reveals, “It took a lot of courage,” but this was also “to make it look hard.”
“If you use a metal press to make the unevenness in a U-shape, it will add strength, so it will give a solid feel.Also, on this line that continues from the headlight, the door handle, slide rail, and rear It is connected to the license garnish, so by placing all the parts on this line, the intention is to finish the whole thing neatly.”
There is a story behind this line: “Actually, it was originally just one thin line.” During prototyping, when we made a separate model for the cabin and body, we modeled the cabin using data, and carved out clay for the body, and when we put the two together, we ended up with two pieces by chance. . “When I saw it, I thought it was interesting, so I made thick lines and left it as a design,” he said, revealing that it was a coincidence.
◆“Air” and “Cross Star” designed simultaneously
Honda Freed new model (air)
The new Freed will be available in two types: AIR and CROSSTAR. It looks like the model is more differentiated than the previous model, but what kind of attention is paid to the design? It is said that the design was being considered at the same time from the beginning of development, and in fact, Mr. Sagawa’s feelings for the Closter were there.
“When we made a minor change, we added the Crossster, but we were disappointed because there were limits to what could be changed (from the base car).So we decided to do everything we wanted with the new model, so we could change the character from the beginning. I always sketched both as a set.”
On top of that, the Air says, “If you think about it from the viewpoint of good visibility and utility, it becomes a stationary shape, so we were careful with the Air to balance driving and dynamic aspects.” Sagawa said. Mr. Miss. Of course, the Cross Star is similar, but the Air was designed with even more emphasis on these aspects.
Additionally, there are four small slits (openings) in the upper right corner of Air’s license plate. According to Mr. Sagawa, “The e:HEV’s radiator is on the left side, so we needed more openings.Rather than widening the holes symmetrically, we placed them in a way that has both accent and function. ” he explained. By the way, the gasoline model also has a hole in it, so you can’t tell the difference there.
◆Closter’s new “arch protector”
Honda Freed new model (Crosster)
Kloster, on the other hand, says, “One of the things I wanted to do was play around with it and look cool even if it got dirty.Also, I kept in mind that it had a somewhat modern feel.When making it different from the Air, I decided to boldly make the lower part black. However, the silhouette itself is very simple. Even though various parts are added and the color changes, the overall shape remains very beautiful from a distance. In fact, by adding a silver garnish, Some women commented that it was cute.Even though it was made to be quite tough, this impression may be due to the fact that it remains a beautiful lump.”
The area around the grill is especially distinctive. “The cross star has a sharp opening (grille) in the center of the air, making it even more powerful.The idea is that by making the middle part silver, we are emphasizing the shape of this center even more,” says Sagawa. At the same time, “I wanted to give it a metallic strength by adding lots of metal embossments, and I wanted to completely change the air and character to make it look like a gear.”
What Mr. Sagawa was most particular about was the arch protector. This was something that could not be done with minor changes. The reason is that it interferes with the interior lining of the sliding door. So, he said, “I talked to the interior designer from an early stage, and we proceeded with the idea that if we could shave off the interior side of the slide a little more, we could add an arch molding.”
Honda Freed new model (Crosster)
◆ Color that doesn’t stand out and looks cool even when dirty
Both the Air and Crosster use new colors to emphasize their individuality. Asagi Miwa, who is in charge of the Design CMF at the Honda R&D Design Center, says of Air’s Seavet Blue, “This color is somewhere between navy blue and blue, but we were aiming for an intermediate, neutral color.” “I’ll do it,” he says.
Freed’s theme color has been blue since the first generation. “I was thinking about a very saturated blue, or a very dark navy blue, but I thought that colors in the middle range of blue would be very easy to choose for both men and women.” . On the other hand, “I heard from many wives that they didn’t want to stand out in the neighborhood.I didn’t want it to match the atmosphere of the house, so I kept the tone as muted as possible and chose a blue color that wasn’t very saturated. I choose colors that will look great on the streetscape or when placed in front of a house,” he explains.
Asagi Miwa, in charge of design CMF for the new Honda Freed
What about Kloster? “When you think about how you’re going to use it, you’re probably going to be walking on muddy roads or at camping sites, so you’re probably concerned about dirt.We choose colors that make that dirt less noticeable,” says Miwa. Even if there is some mud on the clothes, he says, “I coordinate the clothes in a way that makes the mud stand out and makes it look cool even with the mud on it.”
By the way, Kloster’s “Desert Beige Pearl” is a newly developed color. The reason why I was so particular about it was that in addition to the mud stains mentioned above, I intuitively thought that women would be more likely to choose a beige color. That’s what I thought (lol).”As I am also Freed’s target user, I designed it while taking into account my own opinions and the opinions of those around me.
Mr. Miwa also commented, “We didn’t want Air or Crossstar to be exclusive to women or men, but we were conscious of creating colors that customers of both ages could choose from.” By the way, Miwa-san’s favorite color is Kloster’s Desert Beige Pearl.
New model Freed in desert beige color (the photo shows a vehicle equipped with Honda Access accessories)
It doesn’t attract attention, blends in with the city, and allows the rider to drive comfortably and stress-free. The new Freed was developed to realize this in its design. As the target users included those in charge of interior and exterior design, CMF, and packaging, they provided many opinions during the development process even outside of their areas of responsibility. The new Freed incorporates many perspectives to create the car you want. It looks like it will be well received by the market.