For Honda’s New 0 EVs, Getting Attention Is the Entire Point
Go behind the scenes with the arresting new 0 electric models from Honda.
Honda is revving up for a bold comeback in the EV race. With the Honda Prologue riding on GM’s versatile Ultium EV platform—the same foundation used by the Chevrolet Blazer EV, GMC Hummer, and Cadillac Lyriq—the Japanese automaker is now charting its homegrown electrified course. Enter the “0” subbrand, Honda’s next-gen EV lineup set to debut next year with the Lambo-like 0 Saloon and the more traditional but futuristic 0 SUV. At CES, Honda unveiled prototypes of these groundbreaking models, and if history is any guide, these near-production designs are likely what we’ll see hitting the streets.
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After CES, we had the chance to visit Honda’s North American headquarters in Los Angeles for a closer look at the show cars. Inside the studio, we explored their cabins and learned more about the designs during a walkaround with Jonathon Rivers, who leads Honda’s creative services team. Here’s a look at some of the standout features and key details we discovered.
Honda Wants its Cybertruck Moment
The first question we asked Rivers is who they think is going to buy the 0 Saloon. A Lamborghini-shaped electric Honda isn’t going to be the most attractive model for the masses, and in order to make EVs profitable, people need to buy them in big numbers. But Rivers wasn’t shy to answer our question.
“When you look around, especially here in Southern California, and you see all kinds of interesting trucks these days and designs, it's clear that there are people that want that kind of interesting shape and styling and design,” he said. “But for us, it's really the positioning. When we call this the flagship, I mean, clearly, it's not necessarily a sports car, but being the top of the pinnacle of the 0 Series, we wanted it to be a statement piece. I think we pulled that off, especially as you just take in the side profile, right?”
As Rivers noted, it has the shape of a sports car but isn’t really a sports car; he told us us the 0 Saloon will be sort of playing in its own league. Although the entire 0 Series subbrand will be more premium and tech-forward than the current EVs Honda has, the automaker is planning to reach a new kind of customer, someone who might have not considered a Honda before but likes the appeal and technology of the 0 Series.
“[The 0 Series] allows us to reach into different segments, different buyer types, right? Where we don't have to be confined to just efficient, stylish, and fun-to-drive kind of mainstream vehicles,” Rivers said. “But with the 0 Series line of EV products, it allows us to stretch and to reach new heights and bring in a lot of new customers.”
We’ll have to wait to see if it’s up to the standards of a base Tesla Model S or Lucid Air, or even, say, an Acura in terms of perceived prestige.
Level 3 Autonomous Tech Coming Soon
Honda is aiming to be the world’s first automaker to offer Level 3 autonomous driving on every road type and every driving situation. Level 3 means hands-free, pedals-free, and eyes-off-the-road driving, though you can’t be napping. While Honda isn’t saying much at this time, Rivers did say Honda is targeting the system to work mostly on expressways, followed by traffic jam situations. But with over-the-air updates, the automaker plans to quickly expand access to other roads and parts of the country.
Mercedes-Benz already offers Level 3 technology on the new S-Class via Drive Pilot, but the technology has a 40-mph top speed and only works on certain portions of highways in California and Nevada, so its everyday usability is limited. Honda wants to offer something more advanced than that, though no details have been provided.
“We're still determining what level of software and what level of functionality will be available,” Rivers said. “So stay tuned for that because that could change as we get closer to launch.” He added Honda is looking at every type of sensor technology; expect to see a combination of lidar, radar, and camera-based hardware.
Honda is also partnering with Helm.AI for its AI technology, but don’t expect it to be a ChatGPT-like experience. Helm.AI is a driver assistant technology that will learn the behavior models of experienced drivers, and Honda expects the system to “respond quickly and appropriately to unexpected situations, such as an animal darting into the lane or an object falling onto the road.”
Not the Best Ingress/Egress
The Saloon is still in concept form, and things can change between now and the start of production, but we noticed it isn’t very easy to get into the back seat. Because of the low roof and the way the seat is positioned, it wasn’t like other Honda vehicles, which are easy to get in and out of. However, once you’re back there, there’s a ton of legroom and headroom. Because the seat is close to the ground, our knees are higher than in other Hondas.
The 0 SUV has a more traditional cabin setup, and there’s plenty of space in the first and second row. Cargo area doesn’t seem as expansive as other Hondas, but we’ll have to wait until the production models come out to get our full judgement on this.
New Operating System and AI Assistant
As part of the premium features that Honda is putting into the 0 lineup, there is a new operating system dubbed ASIMO OS, which was developed in-house. It will be the central system to the whole vehicle, taking over ECUs and essentially becoming the heart of the entire car. It will be equipped with the latest hardware and software technology, and it will be able to receive over-the-air updates.
We look forward to reporting more on the 0 lineup as we get closer to the launch date next year.
Miguel Cortina is Mexico Editor at MotorTrend, covering the auto industry in the U.S. and south of the border. He joined MotorTrend in January 2015 and is an avid automotive enthusiast who enjoys playing golf, surfing, and running in his free time.
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