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The Honda Neowing is a future-retro GoldWing trike

Honda hasn't made a flat-four powered GoldWing since 1987, so it's not that odd to call this trike styled like a Transformer more traditional than the current 'Wings. Then again, with that extra wheel up front and a hybrid drivetrain, it couldn't be less traditional. The styling is decidedly modern, marrying the unabashed futurism of the NM4 with some sport-touring cues. Honda says the Neowing is intended to explore whether the company can combine higher-speed engagement (read: leaning) with low-speed stability. A rider can't fall over at a stoplight on a Neowing, an important consideration when the current GoldWing weighs 904 to 933 pounds. The leaning ability is provided by a proprietary linkage, and even though its method of operation isn't specified, don't be surprised if it's largely the same as a Piaggio MP3 – a pioneer in the leaning three-wheel category.If you're wondering if the Neowing can make it to production, or whether it will look anything like this concept, consider the NM4, pictured at right. That motorcycle pairs pure concept styling with unconventional mechanicals, like the six-speed dual-clutch transmission that allows for full automatic operation. Both the styling and the DCT are intentionally disruptive in the segment; Honda wants to bring in nontraditional riders, and perhaps new riders. The DCT will appeal to those intimidated or uninterested in manually shifting, and the Neowing might appeal to riders looking to tour without fear of dropping a half-ton motorcycle. Honda will have the Neowing in Tokyo, and perhaps the company will shed more light on their plans for the wild-looking concept there.

Junkyard Gem: 2000 Honda Passport 4WD

The suits at American Honda Motor Company must have spent the bulk of the 1990s tearing out their hair in frustration as their rivals raked in big money from the sales of ever-more-profitable SUVs, even as American car shoppers lost interest in sedans and hatchbacks. Oh, sure, the Civic-based CR-V appeared here for the 1997 model year and sold well enough, but the lack of a larger SUV pained Honda more with each passing year. With the Acura MDX and Honda Pilot not ready for showrooms until the 2001 and 2002 model years, respectively, some stopgap had to be found. Isuzu stepped up and made a deal with Honda: the Rodeo would get Honda badges and become the Passport, while the Trooper would show up in Acura showrooms with SLX badges (for the 1994 and 1995 model years, respectively). Here's one of those Passports, found in a Denver-area self-service yard. Things got even weirder in the Isuzu/Honda world around the turn of the century, with the Honda Odyssey getting Isuzu badges and being sold as the Oasis. Fast-forward to 2009, and the only Isuzu-badged vehicles available new here were rebadged Chevrolets: the I-Series pickup (Chevy Colorado) and the Ascender (Chevy Trailblazer). The Passport name has some interesting American Honda history, stretching back to the first Honda vehicle sold here (and the biggest-selling motor vehicle in human history): the Super Cub. American Honda Motor Company couldn't use the Super Cub name on our shores, because Piper Aircraft had been selling a small plane called the Super Cub since 1949, so the motorcycle was called the Honda 50 over here. Eventually, this bike got a 70cc engine and became the Honda C70 Passport, sales of which continued through the middle 1980s. That means the Passports sitting in your local Honda dealership right now got their name from a one-cylinder motorcycle. General Motors has a Passport connection as well; when GM created the Geo brand to sell rebadged Isuzus, Suzukis, and Toyotas in the United States, it created a marque called Passport to sell the Daewoo LeMans as the Optima in Canada (all the other vehicles sold by Passport dealers were Isuzus). So, Honda's need to offer SUVs in its American dealerships led to an arrangement with GM-connected Isuzu to sell these trucks with a model name bearing links to both companies. So much history in the junkyard! Just as Geo-badged Toyota Corollas (mostly) got Delco radios, so did the Passport get Honda radios.

Design Handbook explains the difference between design and styling

It's easy to confuse the terms 'design' and 'style,' but Jim Hall attempts to explain the difference between the two in his latest Design Handbook video column for Autoline. Before relating the terms to cars, Hall first uses other, non-automotive-related examples to prove his point, such as a well-designed glass versus a well-styled glass. Both do their job well as a result of good designs, he claims, but one stands out more because it also was styled.
When he relates his lesson to cars, he uses the 2013 Honda Accord and the new Chevrolet Impala as examples, but you'll have to watch the video below to find out which car he thinks is merely designed and which one has been styled.
We've also included a gallery of the Honda and a gallery of the Chevrolet so you can decide for yourself which one of these vehicles has been designed, and which one has been styled.