Honda, a brand that’s associated with reliability and dependability, has had a rough relationship with electric cars. Its most recent foray into American-market EVs involved a partnership with General Motors, which resulted in the Honda Prologue and the Acura ZDX crossovers.
The Prologue has had decent success so far, but the ZDX bowed out when EV tax credits vanished. Yet Honda wants more—and wants to do things its way. So it invested billions of dollars into a brand-new, bespoke electric architecture that was set to underpin several new EVs by the end of the decade. It's called the 0 Series, and it might have been the most important new vehicle platform of Honda's modern era.
One of the first cars to wear the 0 Series badge was simply called the Saloon. It was a futuristic, razor-like sedan proudly positioned as the brand’s flagship, ready to take on some of the most high-tech EVs out there.
However, it all went to dust, as Honda canceled its big plans for three American-made EVs, citing a slowing U.S. EV market.
This story was originally published on January 20, 2026. It was updated on March 24, 2026 to reflect Honda's decision to cancel the three American-made EVs based on its new 0 Series platform.
Honda 0 Series: An All-New Platform
The Saloon, which debuted as a concept car in 2024, was designed to ride on Honda’s new in-house platform. It’s a vertically integrated architecture that the automaker can have full control over, allowing it to make quick changes to the hardware and patch software issues with over-the-air updates without having to wait on third-party suppliers and developers.
Honda has gone to great lengths to integrate light materials into the cars’ construction, and was betting big on megacasting technology and a new, AI-enabled software suite that could integrate lidar sensors and ultimately offer Level 3 "eyes-off" driving capabilities.
The platform itself could accept battery packs rated at 800 volts, enabling them to charge faster than more mainstream 400-volt alternatives, as we have seen with 800-volt cars like the Kia EV9 and Porsche Macan. Honda had not offered official specifications for charging power and charging session times, but it was aiming for a 15% to 80% top-up in 15 minutes or less.
It’s also worth noting that some 0 Series-based models could have gotten a 400-volt battery system to keep costs down, but that’s unlikely to happen with the flagship Saloon.
Honda said that it would offer two versions of its e-axle motor: one with 241 horsepower (180 kilowatts), and the other with 67 hp (50 kW). In other words, the most powerful version of the 0 Series Saloon would have had a total of 482 hp, which is not record-breaking by any stretch of the imagination. But if Honda managed to keep the weight down as promised, it should have been enough for any driving scenario.
Honda 0 Series Saloon: Design
There’s no way around this: the Honda 0 Series Saloon was a head-turner. The four-door EV prototype was low to the ground, thanks to the slim battery pack nestled inside the floor, and looked like something out of a futuristic cartoon.
It was a razor-shaped sedan that was bound to get everybody’s attention once it hit the streets, but there was no guarantee that Honda would stay true to the concept’s looks once the production version rolled off the assembly line.
The original show car did go through some modifications for its second public appearance, with the huge double doors being replaced with a set of more conventional four doors. Inside, everything screamed “future,” from the profiled seats to the full-width screen and massive panoramic roof.
Asimo OS, a brand-new operating system that gives a nod to the cool and quirky Honda humanoid robot, powered it all. That too was a big deal. It layed the groundwork for future software-defined vehicles at Honda, future connected cars, autonomous driving, over-the-air updates and more. Like its Japanese rival Toyota, Honda is behind new players like Rivian, Tesla and the Chinese automakers at software, and Asimo OS represented the brand's attempts to hit back.
Honda 0 Series Saloon: Availability
The Honda 0 Series Saloon was initially scheduled to go into production in Ohio this year, as the first model based on the 0 Series platform. However, after several setbacks, including the cancellation of the $7,500 federal tax credit, Honda has decided to postpone the launch of the 0 Series Saloon to 2027. Ultimately, the project was canceled, taking the 0 Series SUV and Acura RSX with it.
Gallery: Honda 0 Series Saloon
Honda 0 Series Saloon: Price
Although Honda has not publicized a figure yet, the 0 Series Saloon was widely expected to start around $50,000. That didn't make it a cheap new EV, but it did put it around the average new car price in the U.S.
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