January 7, 2025
LAS VEGAS — Honda Motor Co. will begin production of the first two models from its 0 Series line of battery-electric vehicles — a midsize crossover and a low-slung, wedge-shaped sedan — at its Ohio-based electric vehicle hub in 2026.
The automaker debuted prototypes of the BEVs at the CES technology expo in Las Vegas on Jan. 7.
“We believe electrification is best for personal mobility in the long term, but how we get to 100 percent BEV adoption will reflect both customer demand and market conditions,” Jay Joseph, vice president of American Honda’s sustainability and business development unit, told reporters at a briefing ahead of the show.
“While we’re showing a path toward our electrified, digital future, the road will have a few twists and turns,” he added. “We don’t expect this to be a linear path of growth.”
Honda’s Ohio EV hub gives the automaker the ability to flexibly produce internal combustion vehicles, hybrids and EVs on the same line in response to changes in consumer demand, Joseph said.
The 0 Series EVs are based off the Space Hub and Saloon concept vehicles Honda unveiled at the 2024 CES expo. It appears the automaker has dropped the Space Hub moniker, and now refers to the midsize crossover as the 0 Series SUV. Honda still refers to the sedan as the Saloon, although its body style is closer to a wagon.
It is likely that both vehicles will be renamed in a way that distinctly represents the 0 Series sub-brand when they reach production form.
The 0 Series EVs will use a new Honda-developed operating system named after the Advanced Step in Innovative Mobility humanoid robot the automaker created in 2000. Called ASIMO OS, Honda plans to equip all 0 Series EVs with the system and with a suite of advanced automated driving technologies that will eventually enable Level 3 driving capabilities .
The new technologies, Joseph said, will help Honda add value to the customer ownership experience and differentiate the brand from competitors in the electrified space.
Honda said it is collaborating with Japanese semiconductor manufacturer Renesas Electronics Corp. to develop semiconductors and a high-performance system-on-chip that integrates communications networks within the vehicle so all systems are truly cooperative. It will optimize artificial intelligence functions for 0 Series models launched later in the decade.
“The computing power in the vehicle is critical to these systems working, but the trade-off of energy consumption could take away from range,” Joseph said. “We don’t want that trade-off, so we’re working to minimize the power demand of the processing.”
Honda will introduce production versions of the 0 Series SUV in the first half of 2026 and the 0 Series Saloon in late 2026. Both will debut in North America, with global markets, including Japan and Europe, to follow.
The 0 Series EVs will adopt the “thin, light and wise” development approach meant to buck the trend of thick, heavy EVs.
Last year, the automaker said it would use a thin EV platform that allows a low floor height for smoother aerodynamics. The setup entails well-packaged e-axles and high-density battery packs for weight reduction and space efficiency.
The use of software over hardware for the 0 Series EVs was pitched as enhancing the user experience without adding bulk. Honda said the SUV features a spacious cabin with “outstanding visibility and flexibility” that is illustrative of the automaker’s desire to offer functional room in its EVs.
Styling of the Saloon stays close to the concept, offering a departure from other EVs on the market. Honda said the low-slung cabin delivers a roomier interior than expected as a result of its new EV architecture.
Honda’s ASIMO OS will allow enhanced customization of space in both the SUV and Saloon. Inspired by the ASIMO robot that could walk autonomously, Honda said the operating system will help it create an exclusive approach to software-defined vehicles, allowing users to continuously refine personal preferences and needs by adding features and functions after the initial purchase of the vehicle through over-the-air updates.
Both EVs will leverage an integrated by-wire control system for the steering, suspension and brakes. They will also use technologies and features that support automated driving.
In 2021, Honda added Level 3 driving capabilities via its Honda Sensing Elite technology to the Legend sedan, which is offered for lease only in Japan. Level 3 automated driving operates within certain limitations but switches control from a human driver — Level 1 and 2 — to the vehicle. It is not yet approved for use in the U.S.
Honda believes this type of technology can greatly reduce collision fatalities, and it plans to apply a version to its 0 Series EVs.
The application, the automaker said, will help the vehicles “respond quickly and appropriately to unexpected situations, such as an animal darting into the lane or an object falling onto the road.”
The 0 Series line will bring an affordable version of the technology to more people, Honda said, while over-the-air updates will eventually expand the system to enable Level 3 driving.
