Despite a name that wouldn't look out of place on a pharmacy's shelf right next to a bottle of Vitamin D on one side and fish oil tablets on the other, the 2023 Honda Sustaina-C isn't a Vitamin C supplement, yet it's a shot in the arm of the automotive industry all the same.

On the surface, much of the Sustaina-C pays homage to the original 1970s JDM Honda City (AA), with its chibi face and square dimensions. But beyond a mere reworking of a retro model, today's concept seen at the Japan Mobility Show (JMS 2023) brings a new meaning to sustainable motoring; an impact similar its progenitor had way back then to personal mobility.

Sustainability beyond powertrains

Though Honda has clued in that the Sustaina-C is electric, the focus is more on the construction rather than the powertrain. Not a bad place to start, given that the production of a car can be responsible for up to 46% of a car's lifetime carbon emissions!

Hence decarbonising the supply chain is very important. To that end, Honda's new concept pursues recycling of resources in a more holistic manner that will end up being softer and lighter; to the environment and on customer's wallets, respectively.

Also read: Honda Sustaina-C and Pocket - Modern take on the JDM City and Motocompo duo

The Sustaina-C does such by making body panels out of acrylic resin recycled from end-of-life vehicles that are no longer in use. Takeki Tanaka, the car's development project leader, says that the benefits are multi-fold.

"Since acrylic does not lose its characteristics when recycled, it can be used repeatedly. The use of recycled acrylic will enable us to facilitate the recycling of resources," he said.

But wait, acrylic...plastic...isn't it prone to breaking? It is, that's why Honda's worked with Mitsubishi Chemical Corporation to develop more advanced means of recycling to create an acrylic composite that performs as good as new materials, achieving both high impact resistance and moldability.

Using these technologies have also made it possible to use the recycled resin as uncoated body panels. Combine this with its weather-resistant properties, smooth surfaces, and natural colouration, Tanaka says that the material can then be used for body panels wiithout painting.

And that's not an incidental benefit; rather a great shortcut for cutting down carbon emissions. "As a matter of fact, the painting process is the most CO2-emitting process in automobile production, accounting for about 80% of the total CO2 emissions from an auto factory," explains Tanaka.

What about all the patterns? Not paint! Most of it are the materials' natural colours, and the marble-patterned one seen here shows the flow marks that occur during moudling. And because its recyclable, Tanaka says it's easy to replace the panels for one in another colour.

As a bonus, Honda engineers have also found a way to make use of transparent acrylic by moulding the tailgate as a single panel. Meaning the tail lights shine through it. Tanaka says that the conventional lights can be replaced by mini-LED panels that double as both lights, or message display.

Also read: 31 years after Soichiro’s passing, Honda teams up with good friend Sony to build EVs

"I ride a motorcycle, and there is a motorcycle community culture where riders raise their hands to communicate with other riders when they pass each other, even if they are complete strangers. I thought it would be fun if we could do that with cars."

"For example, people who are heading to the same event can share some data of participating artists on display, or we can use our car to display ads while parked. There are many ideas, and I would like to add new ways of using our cars," he says.

That's an admirable spirit to have, and if anything, shows cars are having their second renaissance moment in the sustainable mobility era.