With EV hype at a roaring boil, one automaker has been conspicuously quiet over the past few years. As Toyota made all manner of bold claims about solid state batteries, Honda promised that its own dedicated-platform EVs were coming eventually. Admittedly, that’s not the most helpful statement in the world, but whenever Honda decides to get into a segment with its own product, it usually doesn’t half-ass it.
The first Honda EVs of the 2020s are set to be a hodgepodge. The upcoming Prologue will be a Chevrolet Blazer EV wrapped in Honda panels, which, yikes. The Chinese-market e:Ny-1 is an electric global-market HR-V with an alphabet soup name, and the Honda e, which we never got here, was an adorable dead end. However, at CES 2024, Honda divulged more details on its new in-house EV program, and it all looks promising.
First, the part of EV-dom that most automakers seem to be messing up — the name. Honda is calling its incoming EVs the 0 Series, which might raise a few eyebrows in Munich. Say what you want, it rolls off the tongue much easier than, say, bZ4X. The first glimpse of the 0 Series comes in the form of the Saloon concept, and it doesn’t look like any car you can buy new from a showroom today.
It looks like a dustbuster! Finally, a worthy adversary to the Chevrolet Lumina APV. In all seriousness, this is a radical, polarizing form, and I’d be genuinely surprised if the production car looks like this. The lack of side mirrors is completely unworkable in North America given current regulations around camera mirrors, the infinity-mirror nose and tail treatments seem wildly impractical, and I don’t see any way of opening the trunk on this concept. Considering Honda’s typical scheme of pulling the sheets off a barely-disguised production car a year or two before the model you can buy is ready, this 0 Series Saloon is uncharacteristically out there.
So, what lies beneath this new line of vehicles? While Honda isn’t divulging specs just yet, it is going heavy on guiding principles. The brand claims that all models across the range will embody the philosophy “Thin, Light, and Wise.” Could this be a return to classic Honda fundamentals? Perhaps, but it comes with a techie twist. Let’s see what Honda has to say about the first part of its mantra.
Augmenting design potential, including styling with a low vehicle height, and realizing excellent aerodynamic performance by utilizing a “thin” dedicated EV platform to create a low floor height.
If a “thin” dedicated EV platform doesn’t seem aligned with the 100 kWh mega-packs today’s flagship EVs often feature, you’d be right. In fact, Honda seems to be shying away from the more-is-more approach.
Based on time-proven electrification technologies, for the 0 Series models we will pursue outstanding power conversion efficiency, e-Axles with excellent packaging, high-density battery packs that contribute to weight reduction and space efficiency and the ultimate aerodynamic performance. This will realize a long range with the less battery capacity.
That’s a solid plan, seeing as stuffing more batteries into a car to boost range won’t fix long charging times. Less weight and excellent aerodynamic efficiency in the pursuit of using smaller battery packs might. It’s a sensible approach, but then you’d expect that from Honda. So, will any of these weight-saving measures potentially translate to fun? Perhaps, but don’t expect the ultimate connection. Honda plans on using steer-by-wire in the eventual production model, and the jury’s still out on tuning accurate force feedback and ratio adaptation. We’ll just have to wait and see.
As for the “Wise” part of Honda’s equation, the big tech buzzword of the ’20s is at play here. As per the automaker:
With the utilization of AI and big data, the vehicle will learn the user’s preferences such as music, as well as the driver’s behaviors and tendencies while driving, and will make various suggestions.
There’s a fine line between help and distraction, but given the seriousness of driving, there’s a chance Honda’s erring on the side of caution here. Oh, and in case you’re a van fan, Honda’s throwing you a bone with the Space-Hub concept (below), a name that goes so unbelievably hard, it ought to see a doctor in four hours or so. Sure, it doesn’t feature a rear window, but who cares? There’s a concept van called the Space-Hub, and that’s pretty damn righteous.
The crazy part? This wedge-shaped sedan and these bold claims aren’t far-out fantasy. Honda claims that the first 0 Series car is on its way soon, and that it’s not going to Japan first.
In 2026, Honda will introduce a model of the Honda 0 Series based on the Saloon concept in North America, followed by model introductions in Japan, Asia, Europe, Africa and the Middle East and South America.
Hey, that’s only two years away. If the production car looks anything remotely like the concept 0 Series Saloon, Honda could have another 2006 Civic on its hands — a radical, futuristic, unapologetic sedan that makes one hell of a statement. Let’s set our clocks and see how close things end up.
(Photo credits: Honda)
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As a child of the ’80s, I appreciate Honda at least trying to make the future look like we all thought it would.
The electric Honda Insight I was waiting for (kind of)
Return of the dustbusters. Hooray!
(maybe someone got there before me, didn’t read all comments before posting)
The story beat you to it, paragraph 4.
Yes, I saw that (embarrassed emoji face)
I like it, now add an Si or maybe a Type-R version and I will be sold.
Have to say I love it. Sign me up
Looks like a modern Bizzarini Manta show car. I’m in.
Well spotted! Love comparisons to cars I didn’t know existed
P.S. I don’t know if this sounds snarky or not. Am not being snarky
Did not seem snarky to me.
A fuel efficient, two door wedge from Honda? Call it the CR-Zero.
Don’t care if it looks like a vintage show car if it has steer by wire. It’s looking ever more like the industry will force me to build my own car.
Smaller, Lighter, More efficient AND Syd Mead styling?
I’m here for it!
Sign me up.
Maybe I’m weird but I think it looks kind of amazing.
It’s an absolute banger of a concept. Something more blended with a Giugiaro-style production vehicle and this would be a fine end product, IMO.
Thin light and wise. Sounds like potato chips.
I like that saloon profile, but I do have some trepidation. You do remember what happened the last time the Japanese sent Zeros to America?
We GTA’ed one and did sky donuts?
(That actually happened after Pearl, so technically correct)
Came here for the zero jokes, not disappointed.
It could be worse. Imagine if Mitsubishi was building it instead… The (tasteless?) joke would write itself!
is it one of those Sharper Image rechargeable vacuums for your desk at work?
Reminds me of the duster buster vans GM made, as Thomas said
But I’d rather a Olds Silhouette over this… creation.
Screaming for an Adrian slap!
What am I? Some sort of performing monkey for you people? *fine*
Both of these look like they need to be gently warmed before being inserted as some sort of medical procedure.
They look nothing like a Ford Probe!
Is it a pasties dispenser? Nice job on the F1 article BTW.
If I hear anymore about those fucking pasties the uncensored shot is going in the members discord. And no one wants that.
OK, We’re all adults here, I was being a cheeky bastard, no need to go nuclear.
I’m fascinated by the grotesque. Please post it.
Look into my eye.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UfmkgQRmmeE
https://youtu.be/fxhSAiiUGT4?si=V43D2ZhiJl0fbgyn
LOL
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9Gc4QTqslN4
Come on, the production models won’t even look remotely close to these. Plus Honda will price them at like $80-100K. They just want to show their investors they’re working on something, that’s all.
Yes! It’s almost like a rebirth of the awesome 2003 Kiwami concept.
“The brand claims that all models across the range will embody the philosophy “Thin, Light, and Wise.” Could this be a return to classic Honda fundamentals?” – wow, is Honda heading towards getting it’s 80’s-90’s swagger back? One can hope. Let’s see…
—“Augmenting design potential, including styling with a low vehicle height, and realizing excellent aerodynamic performance by utilizing a “thin” dedicated EV platform to create a low floor height.” – YES. This. Honda looked at the physics of EV’s and had the courage to buck the CUV trend and clearly state that the best way to make an EV car is… to make it a car. Perhaps sanity will prevail!
—“Honda plans on using steer-by-wire in the eventual production model…” – F#@&
—“With the utilization of AI and big data, the vehicle will learn the user’s preferences such as music, as well as the driver’s behaviors and tendencies while driving, and will make various suggestions.” – F#@&
Well, that’s two to one against. C’mon Honda, you’re so close!
Google maps recently starting suggesting new routes as I am driving. Fine. There’s a traffic jam, I’d like to be rerouted. Except the feature is fucked up and on my last drive through Detroit it suggested a new route about 20 times in 20 minutes. I was losing my shit.
Cannot imagine if my car started being like, “Would you like to listen to Taylor Swift? Do you want to drive a little faster? Slower? How about I adjust the lights? Are you thirsty, sweetie? When’s the last time you used the potty? Do you need the potty? There’s a gas station 1.2 miles ahead. Let’s stop and use the potty.”
Honda, WTH! Did you wake up in the 80s and steal Chevy’s homework??
Express Yourself: Looking Back at Chevy’s Gas-Turbine Concept From the ’80s (motortrend.com)
Hmmm, I was thinking the wraith but your example fits a bit better:
http://lightgungalaxy.com/wp-content/uploads/wraith03.jpg
Hmmm… 80s-90’s GM really did taunt us with The Future™ in their concepts, didn’t they?
Looks like an infected ‘Cuda
0 Series? Seriously?
Where do you go from here for the next generation?
0.5, 0.75?
-1?
Oh wait, maybe it’s supposed to be an O as in Oh My God. Lots of people mix up 0’s and O’s all the time. My bad.
So you’re saying that’s its O Face?
That is a better modern interpretation of Countach than Lamborghini managed
I have an irrational desire to slap an imitation late-series Countach wing and side-scoops on it…
I’ve never heard something less irrational in my life! Let us pray someone at Lambo or Honda feels the same. We want insanity, dammit! Not whatever the new Countach is
I feel like all these designers think that when EVs take over, the streets will all the sudden be immaculate and so they can have these pristine designs. Meanwhile regular cars are all getting plastic cladding like we’re headed towards Mad Max times.
At least they named the car 0 instead of some weird acronym that includes the letter z for zero but forgot to tell people it’s an acronym so everybody thinks their marketing dept had a stroke.(looking at you Toyota)
This, and the Cybertruck, both confirm that brutal dystopian-chiq aesthetics are in vogue.
It certainly confirms that car designers THINK brutal dystopian-chic aesthetics are in vogue.
Should this design language become mainstream, I think the Cybertruck will be recognized as the pioneer of it, even if there are vehicles from the 1970s and 1980s that share traits of the aesthetic.
As the kids say these days…
The hood has always been a dystopia, and I live there.
https://imgur.com/jTG57k5
Hold up, is that a flashlight taped to the hood of your velomobile?
Not a flashlight, but it is taped. In order to actually access the very front of this vehicle, I need two sawhorses or stands so I can prop the vehicle upside down and stand in there to reach the front, and it’s a pain in the ass. I bought it with non-working electricals.
Please, please stop with the stupid EV names! Honda’s EV sedan should be called the Accord (or Accord 0, I guess).
Accordion?
Acc0rd?
A-Cord
JFC. I’m all for fun, interesting cars. But if you want to drive EV adoption just make a regular fucking car but with an EV powertrain.
I might just be bitter b/c I can’t have a Honda e.
The Honda E looks so great, they need to do more of that, all of the makers.
Tesla pretty much did that with the Model S, Model 3, Model X, and Model Y. The Cybertruck is their first truly unusual offering, and I personally think it’s ugly as crap, much like this Honda concept.
I am curious to know what the Cd value of this Honda 0 Series is though. “ultimate aerodynamic performance” for a usable ground vehicle would be a Cd value of around 0.10(eg. solar race cars, some velomobiles), and I’m highly skeptical this thing will go below 0.19.
The Model S and Model 3 I’ll give you, those are conventionally attractive designs (especially the S), but the Model Y and Model X just look like bloated/over-inflated versions of the S and 3
I agree regarding the exterior of those cars. The interior is pretty polarizing.
Also, I’m glad I have the constant in my life of “Toecutter is going to talk about the Cd value.”
At least on the relatively high speeds reached on American highways, CdA value is the largest factor in fuel consumption. I want my vehicles to cost me as little money as possible to operate, and I want them to reliably go as fast as possible with the parts they have in them. Hence the obsession with drag coefficient. Cars have almost universally been designed backwards to this philosophy, and for the most part, still are. Hopefully that changes.