Honda showed off two new 0-series EV prototypes for the next generation at CES 2025. The Honda 0 SUV features a clean, sleek design and is set to begin production in the first half of 2026. The Honda 0 Saloon is an updated version of the bold Saloon concept unveiled at CES 2024, set to launch in late 2026. At CES 2025, Honda showed off two new prototypes. This was one year after showing off the streamlined Saloon idea. This brings the company one step closer to making its 0-series electric cars available to the public. The 2024 Space Hub idea is the basis for the Honda 0 SUV prototype, which has a more modern crossover shape. The 0 Saloon prototype, on the other hand, looks a lot like the concept from the previous year. Beautiful Designs Honda plans to make both prototypes and sell them in North America in 2026. The 0 SUV was made at the Honda EV Hub in Ohio. The car is set to hit the U.S. market during the first half of 2026. The Saloon design will also be made at Honda’s plant in Ohio later in 2026. The 0 SUV has a longer top and a tilted windshield, even though it is bigger than the Saloon. The front of the car has a big bumper with a cooling vent for the battery, a black panel with pixelated headlights, and a lit Honda logo. The side windows get taller at the back door and then stop abruptly, making a strong D-pillar. The black roof gives the building a two-tone appearance. The back window is very small, and a U-shaped taillight goes across it. The 2024 CES concept car looks a lot like the 0 Saloon. At first, we thought it was too low and torpedo-shaped to be made in that form. Although the prototype features the same cab-forward, low-slung wedge design, it appears that Honda is dedicated to maintaining a modern look. Pop-up headlights will be most similar to the bigger headlights on the 0 Saloon in 2024. These headlights now have a stylish cover that can be pulled back. The front-end screen of the idea was changed to a blank panel that is easier to make. In the Saloon, the side windows form a blocky D-pillar behind the rear doors, resembling the design seen on the SUV. In the background, you can still see the recurring oval lighting feature. Both prototypes had sports cams instead of side mirrors, which we don’t think will be made. Inside, both cars have a dashboard that is mostly made up of screens: a touchscreen in the middle, a digital cluster of gauges, a display for the front passenger, and two screens on the sides that show pictures from the side cameras. There aren’t many real controls besides the stalks behind the yoke-style steering wheel. The center console and chairs are different. The seats in the SUV look more like they could be used in production, and the center console in the Saloon has a glass panel that lights up. Honda made it clear that the 0-series will have steer-by-wire technology, but they didn’t say much else about what’s inside the flashy shell. When we tried a prototype of the 0 series in Japan last year, we learned that the cars would probably have both rear-wheel drive and all-wheel drive. We also looked at Honda’s newest electric motors, which come in two different power levels: 241 hp and 67 hp. The company also talked up a thin lithium-ion battery that could go about 300 miles, according to the EPA. Tech of the Future Honda talked about some of the new technologies that will be in the 0 series cars. The 0 series will have an “eyes off” operation, which means that the driver can do something else, like watch a movie or make a Zoom call, while the car drives itself. It is not clear if this will be offered at launch, even though it seems unlikely because of some legal issues. Honda says that Level 3 driving will first only be possible on highways, but the system’s skills will slowly grow. Honda is working with Helm.ai, a company that makes technology for self-driving cars, to add AI to the Level 3 system. Behavior models from “experienced drivers” would be combined with Helm.ai’s software to make the system able to adjust quickly to changes and adapt to many different types of driving situations. Honda and Renesas, a company that makes semiconductors, will work together to make a high-performance system-on-chip (SoC) for the 0 series cars. This SoC will run the ASIMO OS and the Level 3 autonomous driving system. Instead of having separate electronic control units (ECUs) for each task, the 0-series will have a single core ECU that will run the powertrain, autonomous systems, and comfort features like climate control. Honda says that Renesas’s powerful SoC will be made to handle the extra work while using as little power as possible. Through IONNA, a partnership with seven other companies, Honda is also building a network of charging stations. The goal is to have 30,000 by 2030, and four beta sites are already up and running. Honda said that the 0-series EVs will have a charge port that looks like NACS. Honda also said that the 0-series cars will charge themselves when power is cheap and renewable energy sources are available when they are being charged at home. EV owners can make money from their cars by sending extra energy back to the grid when power rates go up or there is a shortage.
