This... Imperial Stormtrooper-faced concept car is the Honda Personal-Neo Urban Transport, or P-NUT for short, and it made its world debut today at the 2009 Los Angeles Auto Show.

Measuring in at just 3,400 mm in length, 1,750 mm in width and 1,439 mm in height, the P-NUT is a futuristic-looking proposal for a micro coupe that's larger than a Smart Fortwo but more compact than the Fiat 500.

"The objective of the exterior and interior designers was to explore the potential for a new type of small-segment-category vehicle that overcomes many of the objections for existing micro-car designs," said Dave Marek, director of advanced design for Honda R&D Americas. "While the Honda P-NUT concept introduces function-oriented concepts, it also shows that small cars don't have to compromise on style or amenities."

The P-NUT can accommodate three passengers with the center driving position flanked by two rear seats that Honda says provide the same legroom as a mid-sized sedan.

According to the Japanese automaker, the concept car has been designed to be fitted with a variety of rear-mounted powerplants including a conventional small displacement internal combustion engine, a hybrid gasoline-electric powertrain, or a battery-electric powertrain.