Honda announced a new global electric vehicle series called Honda Zero, pitching it as an antidote to the recent trend of “big, heavy” electric vehicles seen on the road today. Honda announces that the first model based on a sleek, sedan-like concept called the Saloon will go on sale in North America starting in 2026.
In addition to the sedan, Honda also introduced a boxier van-like concept called the Space-Hub. The concepts are intended to demonstrate Honda's lighter approach to electric vehicle development and are based on a “thin” vehicle architecture with a low floor designed to emphasize aerodynamics.
“Thin” and “light” are two of the three principles, the third being “wise,” which Honda says guides the development of the Honda Zero EV series. The automaker highlighted an all-new engineering approach to the lineup, including a new H-brand logo that the automaker says will appear exclusively on its next-generation electric vehicles.
How exactly Honda plans to achieve this new weightlessness in its next-generation electric vehicles is still unknown. Many of the electric vehicles hitting the U.S. market this year are large, heavy SUVs and trucks, adding to a broader trend in car buying that has led some companies to stop producing sedans altogether. But Honda seems to be proposing a different approach, particularly with smaller, slimmer and lighter vehicles.
Of course, Honda is also working with Sony on the design and development of the Afeela electric car, which was first introduced at CES last year. The Afeela will also hit the North American market by 2026, although there is no information yet on how it will relate to the Honda Zero range, if at all.
The low, sloping shape gives it a sporty feel reminiscent of Honda's Formula 1 experience.
The sedan has a slanted hatchback shape with unique rectangular lights front and rear reminiscent of a vintage Black & Decker Dustbuster. The vehicle appears to drive extremely low to the ground and offers overall sporty performance that is reminiscent of Formula 1 racing. The interior is minimalist, with Tron-like lighting accents, a single central display, and wheels with pixelated covers that peek through the darkness.
The Space Hub resembles a minivan with minimal overhangs and a taillight that visually resembles Rivian's electric delivery vans for Amazon. The Space Hub will also feature a huge panoramic sunroof that curves on the side, creating an almost greenhouse-like effect. Inside there are two benches facing each other, suggesting that an autonomous shuttle service could be a possible future use case. Since there is no rear window, drivers will likely have to rely on cameras to see behind them.
The Space Hub is neither a hub nor authorized to fly into space.
No real specifications are being released, but Honda says these future electric vehicles will be both partially and fully autonomous, depending on the configuration. A marketing video showed a retractable steering wheel that extends from the dashboard when needed, suggesting that customers could switch between human and robotic driving depending on their mood.
The advanced driver assistance features are based on Honda's sensing platform, which was introduced in Japan in 2021 with the Honda Legend. Honda Sensing is a Level 2 system, meaning drivers must still pay attention to the road and are legally responsible for the car's operation. Hands-free driving on “expressways and country roads” will be possible from the mid-2020s, including in cheaper models, the company says.
It comes to vacuum up your dust!
The Honda Zero series will be sporty and adopt performance-enhancing designs from the automaker's Formula 1 racing experience. Honda is also aiming for optimal battery efficiency through the use of e-axles, a system consisting of a motor, inverter and transmission that converts electrical energy into propulsion energy.
Like several other automakers, Honda plans to introduce more AI-powered features to its future vehicle lineup. These features collect data about driver preferences to provide a more personalized experience and make route suggestions based on location information.
The interior of the Space Hub is reminiscent of a greenhouse.
A retractable steering wheel allows the driver to switch between manual and automated driving.
So far, Honda's global EV offering has been sparse. There's the Honda e city car, which is only available in Europe and Asia and is due to be discontinued this year, and the Prologue SUV, which will soon be available in North America. There's also the upcoming Acura ZDX from the company's performance brand. Overall, Honda is targeting 30 new electric vehicles with 2 million units sold by 2030, 100 percent zero-emission car sales by 2040 and carbon neutrality “for all products and company activities” by 2050.
But there were also setbacks. Honda recently canceled its plans to build a line of affordable electric vehicles with General Motors. And Cruise, GM's autonomous unit in which Honda also owns a stake, suspended all public service after a pedestrian was injured by one of the company's driverless vehicles.
The Prologue SUV is expected to reach customers later this year, Honda's first major attempt to sell electric vehicles in North America since the much-maligned Clarity. But while this car would look just right paired with the CRV and Pilot, these new vehicles are designed for lookalikes.