Batbike Begins

Honda have built a batbike. At least that’s the easiest way of describing the NM4 Vultus, which sounds like the name of an ice planet several thousand lightyears away, combined with a regional road network in Britain.

In its recent announcement, Honda maintain that the team of youthful designers behind the Vultus (meaning ‘appearance’ in Latin) drew inspiration from the futuristic machines on display in Japanese anime and manga. It’s not the first vehicle to do so – apparently the latest iteration of the Toyota Aygo has its origins in cartoon superhero, Astroboy. Having never actually seen any of these Japanese products, we can’t say for sure – all we know is that with its matte black surface and stealth bomber echoes, the only cartoon the Vultus could relate to involves one caped crusader.

Business as usual at Brabus

There have been quite a few interesting vehicles launched at the Geneva Motor Show this week, however one which has really caught our eye is the Branus 800 ‘iBusiness’, based on the Mercedes G 65. The mere mention of the name ‘Brabus’ should immediately tell you that the iBusiness is a mixture of insanity and an imagination allowed to run wild. That’s a given. And, once again, Brabus don’t disappoint. Because what they’ve come up with here is a little daft.