Honda revealed its vision for upcoming electric vehicles at this year's CES, unveiling both the Saloon and Space-hub concept vehicles, which will kick-start a new all-electric range dubbed the 0 Series.
Despite gifting the world the fantastically cute but now defunct Honda e, the Japanese marque has been relatively slow to the EV game, only really offering the e:Ny1 in the UK and the Prologue in the USA. But that’s all going to change.
Global CEO Toshihiro Mibe said that the company is going back to "the starting point of Honda as an automaker" and will therefore create an all-new electric architecture upon which the upcoming line-up will be based.
Mibe also said that Honda wants to buck the current trend for "thick and heavy" electric cars in reference to the fact that massive battery packs tend to equate to tall, bulky vehicles - as opposed to the suggestion that modern cars are stupid.
Instead, Honda's "Thin, Light and Wise" approach will see next generation battery packs lead to lower rooflines, as beautifully demonstrated in the incredibly sleek and swopping Saloon concept - a design study that is tipped to be very close to production-ready.
Honda also wants to make cars enjoyable to drive again, so promises increased driver engagement thanks to a lighter, more agile engineering approach, while the 'Wise' part of its new mantra is in reference to the advanced drivers assistance systems that will be embedded.
That’s right, the 0 Series promises to be fun to drive, but can also do the driving stuff autonomously when you don’t feel like it.
According to the brand, the 0 Series Saloon will likely lose some of the slightly more madcap elements, such as the enormous gull-wing doors, but will otherwise feature the same extreme exterior styling.
It is larger than it looks on the inside too, despite the interior not being production ready in this concept, with a space-age yoke steering wheel, a full-width infotainment screen and four individual cosseting seats.
Admittedly, the Space-Hub is a little more blue sky thinking, with a hugely spacious interior where passengers can face each other in the rear. But it gives a nice indication of Honda’s future design direction when it comes to MPVs.
Despite a lack of information on electric range, top speeds and the sort of battery tech we can expect, we will see the 0 Series Saloon arriving some time in 2026, featuring an all-new Honda logo on its nose and bags of attitude.
