Despite the fact that there is a ton of knowledge displaying that individuals need to purchase electrical autos from Japanese auto manufacturers, that nation’s automobile trade is fairly far behind the curve on aggressive all-electric choices. However of all of the Japanese automakers, Honda might be working to catch up probably the most shortly.
Honda is spending huge on battery and software program R&D, it is opening a new manufacturing “hub” in Ohio this 12 months, and it’ll roll out a radically new household of electrical fashions in 2026. These automobiles are known as the 0 Sequence EVs, and so they have that title for a purpose: they seem to be a daring reset for a corporation most well-known for its high-quality inside combustion engines.
In different phrases, these automobiles aren’t your father’s Hondas. A video tour from our buddies at TFLEV of the 2 prototypes proven at CES reveals why.
In these movies, host Nathan checks out the 0 Sequence Saloon and 0 Sequence SUV “Prototypes” with Honda’s Jonathon Rivers to see what they might provide prospects after they begin to go on sale (hopefully) subsequent 12 months. With screens spanning all the dashboard, a yoke-like steering wheel and appears which have been in comparison with Lamborghini’s automobiles, each really feel like they’re 20 or 30 years forward of your garden-variety Accord or CR-V.
It would be straightforward to jot down these off as simply distant, dreamy idea automobiles. However that is Honda we’re speaking about; it would not actually do idea automobiles like different automakers do, preferring as a substitute to indicate off issues which might be near their closing designs. “In Honda-speak, [a Prototype] is normally fairly near mass manufacturing,” Rivers says within the video. The 0 Sequence Saloon is an extended automobile—nearly Odyssey minivan-sized—a sort of government limo constructed to maximise inside house. It’s going to have superior hands-off, eyes-off automated driving help tech, however Rivers confirms that this know-how shall be launched in phases over time with over-the-air software program updates.
“We need to be the world’s first automaker to carry Stage 3 autonomous driving to all street varieties and circumstances,” Rivers says, referring to a system the place a automobile can drive itself almost all the time so long as a human driver is able to take management of the automobile always. That is an enormous quantum leap over what’s on the street now; up to now, solely sure Mercedes-Benz automobiles provide true Stage 3 driving, albeit in very restricted makes use of.
However I might argue that the within of the 0 Sequence is the place issues get probably the most on the market. The yoke steering wheel is upside-down to permit simpler entry, however then it turns the proper method for precise driving. The hi-res shows evoke the Lucid Air or China’s EVs and buttons are few and much between. Although it is a variety of screens, “We wished every thing to be clear and straightforward to make use of,” Rivers says.
And sure, they may nonetheless have Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, he provides.
Photograph by: InsideEVs
I am a bit unhappy to see that like Tesla and Rivian’s EVs, you need to modify your air-con and venting instructions through the touchscreen. I personally have not examined any EVs the place that is a greater person expertise than old-school vents and buttons, however hey, I am not an automotive engineer, so what do I do know?
Photograph by: InsideEVs
Just like the Sony-Honda Afeela EVs—which will even be constructed at Honda’s Ohio EV hub and are anticipated to be associated in some ways—the 0 Sequence fashions do really feel designed to compete with China’s software-driven electrical fashions. That is why the 0 Sequence additionally has a passenger-facing display, one thing common in China that usually perplexes Western audiences a bit. There are different thrives right here which might be pervasive in China as nicely, like a sort of “ambiance mode” to sit back the vibes throughout an extended street journey.
Nonetheless, Rivers insists that the high-quality animations and touchscreen-based controls are what Honda desires to carry to manufacturing. The display operates the driving modes, navigation, leisure and almost all different capabilities.
Rivers provides that Honda is concentrating on “a minimum of 300 miles of vary for all the 0 Sequence fashions—we take a look at that as the brand new benchmark.” Extra specs must be revealed nearer to launch, he says. Optimistically, automobiles just like the low-slung 0 Sequence Saloon will do even higher; 300 miles of vary is certainly a perfect goal, nevertheless it could possibly be outclassed by different rivals in 2026.
The 0 Sequence Saloon is unquestionably the tip of the spear high-tech flagship of the brand new line. However the 0 Sequence SUV might be going to be the moneymaker of the household. It is attributable to be the primary one inbuilt Ohio and this prototype too is “very shut” to its manufacturing design.
The just about “kammback” rear finish will not be everybody’s jam, nevertheless it helps with aerodynamics and vary—and the opening itself appears fairly cavernous. Examine this out:
Photograph by: InsideEVs
You might match put a variety of gear into that. Inside, the story is just like the 0 Sequence Saloon: a yoke steering wheel (with steer-by-wire know-how, too), the all-screen dashboard and the Asimo OS software program system. The prototypes even have cameras as a substitute of facet mirrors, however whether or not these make it to manufacturing are in all probability as much as American security laws; different international locations have them however we don’t. In any other case, the SUV is remarkably spacious all through, powered by AI for varied options and likewise able to over-the-air software program updates.
Rivers provides that the 0 Sequence household shall be a sort of “sub-brand, a extra premium model that may appeal to a variety of new prospects.” After which he mentions the Honda Prologue, which is the place my thoughts went right here as nicely. Apart from the aggressive lease offers, the Common Motors-based Prologue has completed very nicely for Honda partly as a result of it is so regular; it appears like a simple transition to the electrical world for somebody who’s possibly been driving a CR-V for the previous 5 years (or maybe 20, as a result of they are typically indestructible.)
The 0 Sequence automobiles will not be that. They’re as futuristic as we have seen from any so-called “conventional” automobile model. Will folks be into them? Their beginning worth has been projected round $50,000 after they begin to go on sale in 2026. But when they do find yourself providing a terrific mixture of options, vary and the fashion that is been warmly obtained up to now, possibly they’re going to put Honda into the fashionable EV recreation for actual.
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