Honda did its part to turn CES into the automotive kickoff show of the 2024 season Tuesday when it unveiled the first two concepts in its new "0 Series" (Be cool, BMW!) line of all-electric vehicles slated to arrive in the U.S. in 2026. Built on the principles of "Thin, Light and Wise," these new models will lay the groundwork for Honda's electrified future.
Honda's two CES concepts are dubbed the Saloon and the Space-Hub. The former, Honda says, will be the first model in the 0 Series lineup, and Honda says it will be the flagship in its new EV lineup. It's built on a dedicated platform developed using Honda's M//M philosophy: man maximum/machine minimum. Translation: it's low, wide and spacious. And critically, it won't drive itself.
That's right; while Honda is promising advancements in driver safety tech and semi-automated safety systems, the Saloon is intended to be a driver-oriented car, with new tech devised to make the experience more engaging, not less. And it looks wild.
"In addition to the new exterior and interior design," Honda's announcement said, "the Saloon also debuts advancements of new steer-by-wire and motion control management systems. Leveraging the company’s decades of expertise in robotics, the Saloon features posture control that will assist the driver in a variety of driving situations to realize the 'joy of driving' in the EV era."
That's lofty -- and more than a little vague -- but promising. We intend to hold them to it.
The second concept, dubbed the Space-Hub, leans in the other direction entirely. Honda describes it as a "flexible space that immediately accommodates a variety of passengers and becomes a “hub” that connects people to each other and the outside world," whatever that means. It looks a lot like a Starfleet shuttlecraft that got tossed back in time and landed at Honda R&D. But hey, we could once say the same thing about the Dodge Caravan.
Details on this one are even thinner. The lounge style rear cabin area has been a popular inclusion in concepts with autonomous pretensions, but with Honda not making a dedicated push to build its own AVs, we suspect this will end up looking a bit more like a conventional... um... whatever it is.
The 0 Series will also wear a new badge. Honda has tinkered with its traditional "H," and the new look is supposed to convey the notion of open arms embracing new possibilities.
Today's presentation was about broad strokes, surely, but if we know anything about Honda, it's that their "concept" vehicles have a funny way of turning out to be thinly-disguised production vehicles. With two years to go until launch and factoring in the complexities of evolving BEV tech, we'll forgive them for not marrying themselves to any specifics. We just know it's not Ultium. Stay tuned for more.
