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Honda MC-? prototype

Honda is less an automaker, it has been said, and more of a motor company that builds vehicles into which to put its engines. That sort of perspective goes a long way towards explaining the mind-boggling diversity of the company's product lineup. The Japanese industrial giant makes lawnmowers, marine engines, robots... even jet aircraft. It's also one of only a handful of companies that makes both cars and motorbikes. We recently had the chance to sample something that falls in between.
It's called MC-β - shorthand for Micro Commuter Beta, which already tells you it's Honda's second stab at the formula. The first Micro Commuter prototype was announced a year prior and, though marginally larger, struck us as a more complete product than its successor. But it'll likely still be a while before the formula is perfected and put into production, and even then it isn't likely to find its way any time soon to Honda's American showrooms - whether those showrooms are selling cars, bikes or ride-on mowers.
Driving Notes

Japan considering offering free hydrogen cars because $30k incentives apparently not enough

There's no such thing as a free lunch. A free hydrogen fuel-cell vehicle, though? It may become a possibility in Japan, says Automotive News. We know the Japanese government is being plenty supportive of hydrogen vehicles since it will provide about $20,000 worth of incentives to prospective customers of the $69,000 vehicle. And with local governments like Toyota City's Aichi prefecture supplying another $10,000, out of pocket costs could reach less than $40,000 for the Toyota hydrogen car. We don't know for sure that the 'free' H2 car will happen, but with Toyota starting sales of its first production FCV next spring (potentially named Mirai), it could happen. That would also spell good news for Honda, which will follow up Toyota's effort for its own hydrogen fuel-cell vehicle. The case for the free car is still pretty tenuous. Automotive News, citing the Nihon Keizai business publication, reports that the Japanese government has thrown around the idea of subsidizing the vehicles outright to early adopters just to gain some momentum for this kind of zero-emissions vehicles. Heck, the government would even throw in free fuel for good measure. We'll see about that. To see some of the official hydrogen excitement, click here for a video of Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe taking a Toyota fuel cell vehicle for a brisk test drive. Featured Gallery Toyota at 2014 Aspen Ideas Festival News Source: Automotive News - sub. req.Image Credit: Toyota Government/Legal Green Honda Toyota Hydrogen Cars incentives h2

Ariel to revive motorcycle business with debut at Goodwood

If you're a parent, the name Ariel might conjure up one of the Disney princesses, but auto enthusiasts know it as a hardcore, boutique British sports car maker. Before being revived to make the skeletal Atom, the business was also a British motorcycle company best known for its four-cylinder bikes. Now, the modern iteration is looking to the past with plans to unveil its own cycle at this year's Goodwood Festival of Speed from June 26-29.
Given Ariel's cars, you might expect an absolutely minimalist motorcycle weighing practically nothing. However, according to its boss speaking to Visor Down, there's no point in trying to build another racer; that market is sewn up. Instead, it's developing a performance cruiser with a more tailored design approach. Buyers can select a variety of different components to adapt the cycle to their style. It shouldn't be lacking for too much speed though; power comes from the 1,237cc V4 engine from the Honda VFR1200F with around 170 horsepower on tap, and it also offers the VFR's six-speed, dual-clutch gearbox as an option.
Ariel admitted that bike on display at Goodwood would just be a test mule and didn't say when the production version would be ready. It seems this idea has been a long time coming, though - we reported in 2011 that the company was working on a bespoke motorcycle with multiple design options around a Honda engine. Pricing at the time was rumored to sit around 20,000 pounds.