new Honda 0 EV fashions inch nearer to manufacturing

Honda kicked off the 2025 Client Electronics Present (CES) in excessive fashion at present with the worldwide debut of the primary two fashions in its new 0 Collection of EVs set to roll off the road in 2026 – alongside along with your latest street 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 asserting the brand new 0 Collection.

Welcome again, ASIMO

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

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

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

2021 Honda Legend

Which is nice data for Honda lovers – however you’re not right here to speak a few 5 12 months outdated, ICE-powered, Japan-only sedan. That is Electrek, and also you’re right here for the brand new hotness, and that begins with a take a look at the brand new, electrical Honda 0 SUV.

2026 Honda 0 SUV

Additional creating the themes first proven in final 12 months’s Honda Area-Hub idea and based mostly 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, youngsters: 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 latest 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 in all my fellow journalists remarked that it seemed extra like, “a Lamborghini Saloon than a Honda,” and the comment was met with figuring out 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 Collection idea made its debut ultimately 12 months’s CES.

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

Being none of these issues, I’d like to listen to extra about horsepower and torque – or, not less than, have a greater understanding of how these rear home windows are imagined to go up and down.

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

Charging the 0 Collection

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 accountability for your entire 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 depart the charging expertise to another person, both.

“The purpose is to have ASIMO ship dwell 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 Improvement at Honda North America (paraphrasing). “Whether or not that’s routing you to a cost level that makes use of cleaner vitality or areas which have pet-friendly amenities, that’s one thing that we hope to carry to the charging expertise.”

What’s extra, Honda needs that charging expertise to be as straightforward and ubiquitous as gasoline is at present. “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 Collection fashions with J3400/NACS (learn: Tesla) fashion connectors.

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

Electrek’s Take

Up shut, Honda’s upcoming 0 Collection SUV appears a lot nearer to production-spec than its Saloon sibling – and that is sensible. In North America and Europe, these vehicles’ major markets, 5 passenger crossovers are the meatiest a part of the mainstream market, and the place any economies of scale are prone 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 small print could change, the bumpers could develop a bit and the wheels could shrink a bit and the mirrors will certainly develop an entire lot, however for those who like the best way these prototypes look, you’ll most likely just like the manufacturing model.

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

It is going to do this, too, after all. 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 pictures we took final night time and tell us what you consider the up to date Honda 0 Collection EVs within the feedback part.

2026 Honda 0 Collection gallery

SOURCE | IMAGES: Honda, Electrek.