We already told you about Honda’s retro-inspired new H emblem for its future electric cars, but if you think those EVs will also feature retro styling like the adorable but gone-too-soon Honda e, that’s not going to be the case.
At the 2024 Consumer Electronics Show this week, the Japanese carmaker pulled the covers off two concepts under its new 0 Series range. While we don’t know what BMW’s reaction to that name might be, we do know that the first production model will come out in 2026, first in North America, then in Japan, Asia, Europe, and other markets.
The use of ‘0’ in the name represents Honda’s decision to veer away from its current EV direction and “create a completely new value from zero,” said Toshihiro Mibe, the brand’s global CEO. In terms of design, it’s literally out with the old (and retro), and in with the radically new—just take a look at these things.
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The Honda Saloon concept is the sportier of the two, and it will be the basis of the 0 Series range’s first production model in 2026. In-depth specs haven’t been revealed at this point, but among the technologies it’ll feature are steer-by-wire advancements, new motion control management, posture control “that will assist the driver in a variety of driving situations,” Honda Sensing Elite driver-assist features, and faster-charging, longer-lasting batteries.
There’s no saying how much of the cyberpunk vibe will survive into the production version—right now, the concept looks like it’ll suck everything ahead of it and spit it right out the back—and as for that steering yoke, we can’t see it being all the rage two years from now. Elsewhere in the cockpit, the entire dash face is a massive curved screen, and the backs of the front seats appear to have either screens or touch panels, giving rear occupants something to fiddle with.
The second concept in the range is the Honda Space-Hub, which has all the makings of a self-driving, passenger-centric minivan of the future.
Most likely, the production model will be a showcase of Honda’s next-gen automated driving tech, which the carmaker says will produce “more human-like, natural, and high-precision risk predictions” so you can start trusting the system more. There’s also a dedicated operating system for 0 Series cars, one that wil apparently “learn the user’s preferences as well as behaviors and tendencies while driving, allowing the vehicle to make suggestions to enhance the ownership experience.”
Hmm. Maybe it’ll suggest a different way home if it sees that a fast-food drive-thru has been part of your route in the last few days...
More photos of the Honda 0 Series concepts:
