In a case of “better late than never,” auto manufacturer Honda has finally joined the EV race, using the stage at CES 2024 to unveil a pair of all-electric concept models featuring the brand’s new electrified Honda 0 Series. It marks a first for the brand, an aerodynamic raked flagship concept model outfitted with automatic posture control seating and some wildly mesmerizing spoked wheels, while the the other is a form-follows-function people mover offering living room comforts on four wheels.
The aggressively angled Saloon arrives as the Honda 0 Series flagship concept giving a hint of what’s to come from the automaker looking forward to 2026. As is often the case, Honda’s new design language arrives with an equally high concept name: “The Art of Resonance.”
Looking something like the progeny of the Lotus Turbo Esprit, the Lamborghini Huracán from the side, some TRON-like lighting, and maybe just a hint of an 80s-era Dustbuster hand vac, the low and wide aerodynamic Saloon concept makes for Honda’s dramatic entrance into the EV market, a category they had previously tippy-toed around until now. The concept’s steep raked windshield paired with an extremely abbreviated bonnet and the inherent space-saving characteristics of an EV platform results in a car with an enormous interior cabin… and one hard to ignore backside.
The Saloon also debuts advancements of new steer-by-wire and motion control management systems connected to a yoke-style steering wheel. Of course, no new tech is quite new unless AI is included. The Saloon’s “human-centric” safety concept is outfitted with advanced AI, sensing, recognition, and driver monitoring technologies to achieve more human-like, natural and high-precision risk predictions. Eventually Honda intends to expand some hands-off features for certain lower risk driving conditions across highways and city streets.
That spacious interior is outfitted with sustainable materials and a human-machine interface (HMI) instrument panel designed to make operating the next-gen ride as simple as operating a smartphone. The Saloon also features a posture control system that assists the driver to be seated in the most ergonomic and comfortable position while driving, adjusted automatically dependent upon driving conditions.
To further emphasize Honda’s EV forward looking plans, the company designed a new “H” mark for the Honda 0 Series and future EV models symbolizing two outstretched hands to represent “Honda’s commitment to expand the possibilities of mobility and continue to meet the needs of its customers.”
The second concept unveiled at CES 2024 is the Space-Hub, a more spacious take on the EV. The futuristic minivan is designed around the theme of “augmenting people’s daily lives” – noting such augmentation likely means allowing drivers and passengers to revel in a cabin of conversation-pit proportions, paired with greater visibility to take in the scenery. The Space-Hub’s “Thin, Light, and Wise” approach is here to emphasize the vehicle’s connection between passengers and the world outside its capacious interior. It also features a rear that is far more generous than the Saloon.
“We have gone back to basics and formulated the Honda 0 Series with a design for the new era,” says Shinji Aoyama, Global EVP of Honda. “A bold and pure proportion that from the first glance is overwhelmingly different from other EVs to evoke a new perspective for people.”
A new zero logo and “H” logotype signifying Honda’s electrified intentions ahead of the 2026 model year, when Honda intends to cross from concept to offering a full featured EV production model, was also revealed on-stage at CES 2024.
Integrating sustainable materials and futuristic silhouettes with tech-laden interiors, the two new models are both platforms to showcase Honda’s efforts in engineering a new stable of electric vehicles inspired by “the environment, society, and users in harmony” with some AI thrown in for good measure.
Honda also announced the development of improved battery technology to address the public’s concerns about charging times. For the Honda 0 Series models launching in the late-2020s, fast-charging from 15% to 80% of battery capacity will be shortened to just 10-15 minutes. Compared to the hours required during our recent holiday travels by EV, this development sounds particularly essential for mass adoption of this type of automobile.
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While Honda did not provide any details about either vehicle’s powertrain, specs, or pricing, as is par for the course of automotive show concepts, the automaker did officially say a production vehicle based on the Saloon concept is expected to come to the North American market in 2026.
Source: design-milk