Honda Dog Friendly Element news - In their Element - 2009

Some say that dogs are a man's best friend. They're wrong, obviously - a magician monkey butler makes a far better friend - but still, catering for these four-legged fleapits is big business.

With more than 15 million dogs in Japan alone - that's more than there are children under the age of 13, presumably all fed on a diet of fillet steak, and carried around in designer handbags - it wasn't going to be long before someone designed a car specifically for them.

So along came Honda. Awarded 'Dog Car of the Year' 2007 by consumer pet travel advice website Dogscar.com - you couldn't make this stuff up - the new Element unveiled in New York had some unusual additions.

The Dog Friendly Element, as they call it, is fitted with a cushioned pet bed, pet restraint system, rubber floor mats with lovely toy bone pattern, spill resistant water bowl, rear ventilation fan and ‘dog friendly exterior emblems'. Once again, not making this up. There's even a ramp to help lazy dogs get in and out of the boot.

Scheduled to debut this autumn in Japan, it's guaranteed to get one section of the population to, er, sit up and take notice. Sorry.