new Honda 0 EV fashions inch nearer to manufacturing

Honda kicked off the 2025 Shopper Electronics Present (CES) in excessive fashion right now with the worldwide debut of the primary two fashions in its new 0 Sequence of EVs set to roll off the road in 2026 – alongside along with your latest highway journey buddy: ASIMO (!).

With discuss of synthetic intelligence and robotics starting to overwhelm the dialogue round forward-looking vehicles, it’s value noting that Honda has been creating each superior AIs and humanoid robots for many years – most notably the pleasant, faceless ASIMO robotic that promised to care for lonely seniors (versus Tesla’s Optimus, which guarantees to take your union job and put your loved ones on the road).

As an enormous fan of the OG ASIMO, I used to be genuinely delighted to see the pleasant robotic’s identify featured prominently within the official press launch saying the brand new 0 Sequence.

Welcome again, ASIMO

In its newest iteration, ASIMO isn’t a cuddly robotic, however a brand new, authentic automobile working system developed by Honda that, the model hopes, will provide a equally pleasant e-mobility expertise to 0 Sequence drivers.

ASIMO has realized rather a lot from different proprietary automobile OSs, too. For starters, it’s always updating the in-vehicle software program via over the air (OTA) updates for each the digital UX and built-in dynamics controls that may permit Honda to ship, “a customized possession expertise that may improve the enjoyment of driving.”

For 0 Sequence drivers who discover extra pleasure in texting than steering, ASIMO can even be managing an up to date model of Honda SENSING Elite – a Stage 3 autonomous ADAS answer first seen on the 2021 Honda Legend within the Japanese Market.

2021 Honda Legend

Which is nice data for Honda fans – however you’re not right here to speak a couple of 5 yr previous, ICE-powered, Japan-only sedan. That is Electrek, and also you’re right here for the brand new hotness, and that begins with a have a look at the brand new, electrical Honda 0 SUV.

2026 Honda 0 SUV

Additional creating the themes first proven in final yr’s Honda Area-Hub idea and primarily based on Honda’s new, internally-developed EV structure, the 0 SUV would be the first “all Honda” EV to hit the US market when begins rolling off the manufacturing line on the Honda EV Hub in Ohio within the first half of 2026.

That’s proper, children: the brand new Honda EVs will probably be made within the USA, deftly avoiding any potential tariffs and heralding the outcomes of greater than $5 billion of funding in American manufacturing on Honda’s half – one thing that’s refreshing to see in a market the place company information has been dominated by multi-billion greenback inventory buybacks and labor disputes in current months.

Particulars like battery capability, energy and torque, dynamic efficiency figures, and even driving vary are restricted – if not nonexistent. That mentioned, it’s protected to imagine that the

2026 Honda 0 Saloon

Over on the sedan aspect, the prototype Honda 0 Saloon is a stone-cold stunner. One among my fellow journalists remarked that it appeared extra like, “a Lamborghini Saloon than a Honda,” and the comment was met with understanding nods. For certain, there’s a LOT of Honda’s iconic, Pininfarina-designed HPX idea from 1984 within the new 0 Saloon’s profile – however that’s wholly intentional, and the HPX was alluded to as one of many firm’s stylistic touchpoints when the 0 Sequence idea made its debut eventually yr’s CES.

Just like the SUV, the Saloon announcement is mild on particulars. Nonetheless, the corporate says the brand new automotive will characteristic a number of next-generation applied sciences that, “embody the ‘Skinny, Mild and Clever’ growth method of the Honda 0 Sequence.

Being none of these issues, I’d like to listen to extra about horsepower and torque – or, a minimum of, have a greater understanding of how these rear home windows are purported to go up and down.

That mentioned, this can be a prototype. That’s totally different from a idea within the sense that almost all idea automobiles have nearly no probability at manufacturing. In distinction, a prototype is simply that: the primary (proto) of its form (sort). It’s kind of promise to stakeholders that one thing actually very a lot an entire lot simply. Like. This. Is coming … and perhaps even coming quickly.

Charging the 0 Sequence

At a Honda roundtable dialogue forward of CES2025, Honda North America executives mentioned EV charging – and the sensation was that Honda, like Tesla, was able to take duty for your complete EV possession expertise by taking part in a much bigger position in IONNA, the 7 OEM collaboration launched final February.

We’re not going to see Honda-branded chargers, however Honda insists it isn’t going to go away the charging expertise to another person, both.

“The aim is to have ASIMO ship reside journey planning and cost level routing, however customise the expertise because it will get to know you,” explains Jay Joseph, VP of Sustainability and Enterprise Growth at Honda North America (paraphrasing). “Whether or not that’s routing you to a cost level that makes use of cleaner power or areas which have pet-friendly amenities, that’s one thing that we hope to convey to the charging expertise.”

What’s extra, Honda needs that charging expertise to be as simple and ubiquitous as fuel is right now. “We imagine we are able to rival Supercharger Community by the top of this decade,” continues Joseph. “We’re very assured,” he mentioned, doubling down, whereas he defined that Honda would ship the 0 Sequence fashions with J3400/NACS (learn: Tesla) fashion connectors.

Plug and cost, AI-driven routing and charging options and journey navigation, and extra ASIMO-driven enhancements to the EV possession expertise had been talked about – “by the center of subsequent decade, BEVs may very well be the most important supply of saved power to assist easy out the so-called ‘duck curve’ of the present power grid. We expect V2G will assist easy that out, and allow prospects’ power prices to be rather more predictable.”

Electrek’s Take

Up shut, Honda’s upcoming 0 Sequence SUV appears a lot nearer to production-spec than its Saloon sibling – and that is sensible. In North America and Europe, these automobiles’ major markets, 5 passenger crossovers are the meatiest a part of the mainstream market, and the place any economies of scale are more likely to happen.

And that’s high quality. Honda isn’t saying “that is it,” they’re saying they’re going to construct one thing like this. The main points might change, the bumpers might develop a bit and the wheels might shrink a bit and the mirrors will certainly develop an entire lot, however in the event you like the way in which these prototypes look, you’ll in all probability just like the manufacturing model.

The actual information right here, then, isn’t the automobiles. Sure, they’re great-looking machines, they usually enhance (I feel) on the themes first proven in 2024. As an alternative, the information is that Honda is taking their prospects’ whole possession expertise severely – they usually’re utilizing AI in a method that guarantees to cater to your particular person wants, not essentially market to your particular person tastes.

It would try this, too, in fact. However not simply that.

We’ll have extra Honda and CES2025 information all through the week. For now, although, check out a few of the sneak peek photographs we took final night time and tell us what you consider the up to date Honda 0 Sequence EVs within the feedback part.

2026 Honda 0 Sequence gallery

SOURCE | IMAGES: Honda, Electrek.