its not an entirely new setup... most aerodynamic cars today have bumpers or dams wich divert the air sideways and around the tires. even my car wich was first lanched in 1988 had something similar (the undertray is not original)
the honda version seems a simplified version of the prototype, which makes me wonder why they didn't stuck to that... i mean the dams can't be that much worse than a full fairing which wouldn't reduce ground clearence...
i'd honestly had expected something more sophisticated in that area... but perhaps its not as simple as it looks... it would be alsome to see this setup in a windtunnel and see where the air goes