In 1981 Honda released the Motocompo, above, a portable "Trunk Bike"—actually a motorized scooter—designed to cleanly fit in the boot of a Honda City compact car. They sold just over 50,000 of them before retiring them in 1983.

Now the concept is back, albeit in electrified form. At this year's Tokyo Motor Show, Honda pulled the sheet off of the Motor Compo, below, which in addition to getting an "R" added to its name now features a smartphone dock that serves as a speedometer and battery meter. Another sign-of-the-times design touch: The battery is removable and can be used to power other objects in an emergency. No word yet on whether it will see actual production.