At CES in Las Vegas today, Honda unveiled its promised new battery-electric Honda Zero prototype. The first is an SUV based on the Space Hub concept, called the Honda 0 SUV. The second is a sedan based on the saloon concept called the Honda 0 Saloon.
Honda says that production of two new EVs is scheduled to begin in 2026. And as if that wasn’t enough, the new vehicle will also be the first to be equipped with the automaker’s new in-house developed Asimo operating system.
Looks zero
Concepts and prototypes are difficult to judge because they are usually more focused on design than what consumers end up seeing at their local dealership.
That said, the Honda 0 SUV looks like a cross between an ’80s Dustbuster and a Volvo EX30, while the Honda 0 Saloon looks more like an anteater. But in person, both look much better than expected.
This SUV in particular appears to be pretty close to the final production version, featuring a unique rear cargo opening with two folding tables on each side. The Honda 0 Saloon looks similar to Honda’s 2024 saloon concept, but is much faster. Still, Honda toned down the concept and replaced the concept’s gullwing-style doors with more regular ones. Retro-style flashing headlights resemble the design of an 80s Lamborghini Countach.
The design feels somewhat nostalgic. When the saloon door is open, the yoke-type steering wheel rotates, allowing the driver to slide into the lower seat without getting caught. When the door closes, the yoke rotates down. This is possible because the Zero platform is drive-by-wire. (In SUVs, the yoke remains stationary.)
Both interiors still look highly prototype, with dash-sized screens stretching from pillar to pillar. This is reminiscent of the soon-to-be-released Afeela EV from the Honda-Sony joint venture. (Afeela was also properly released this week.)
Honda 0 SUV looks like a cross between an ’80s Dustbuster and a Volvo EX30
The exterior design also incorporates elements from Lagonda, the Aston Martin luxury car manufacturer that has gone on and off over the years. One of the more divisive designs Aston has brought to market, the Aston Martin Lagonda Shooting Brake is very similar to the design Honda unveiled at the show.
The Honda 0 SUV is scheduled to be first produced for the North American market in 2026, and Honda announced that it will be produced at its plant in Ohio. And it will likely perform similarly to the Honda Zero Prototype CR-V I drove in Japan in October.
new operating system
According to Honda, the Honda Zero embodies the three principles of “thin, light, and smart.” At CES, Honda executives said they were focused on showing off “sensible” principles.
It includes a new operating system developed in-house called Asimo OS, named after the company’s early 2000s humanoid robot Asimo, which was designed for “people’s everyday lives.” .
Honda retired Asimo in 2018 to focus on “more practical” applications. But the company had a lot of information about some of the obstacles and safety issues the fully autonomous robots would have to overcome from the more than 33.26 million steps the robots took over their lifetimes. When Honda introduced ASIMO in 2000, ASIMO was introduced as a beloved friend (he once played soccer with President Barack Obama and could autonomously recognize waves of people as well as moving objects) and as a symbol of Japan’s technological advances. It was widely hailed as a symbol of
As a symbol of robotics, Honda has decided to name its new operating system after Asimo. The new OS will enable things like “hyper-personal optimization” of digital experiences and autonomous driving. Honda also said it plans to integrate management of the vehicle’s electronic control unit (ECU) to improve control of functions such as suspension, braking and handling.
Honda’s Zero cars are equipped with Level 3 autonomous driving, which allows the driver to divert attention from hands, feet, or the road ahead, depending on the situation. Currently, Honda only offers this feature on Honda Legend sedans equipped with the company’s Sensing Elite technology, and are only available for lease in Japan.
According to Honda, the Honda Zero embodies the three principles of “thin, light, and smart.”
Honda is leveraging its relationship with Helm.AI (a company in which Honda invested more than $30 million in 2022) and its own AI development to learn from “small amounts of data” and quickly realize self-driving systems. He said he plans to do so. This expands the range of conditions that can be used.
Honda said it hopes to offer Level 3 self-driving capabilities in congested conditions and expand its offerings from there through over-the-air updates. All Zero vehicles will have the option of this technology at an “affordable” price.
Honda did not provide pricing details, but said that when the Level 3 system is activated, the system allows occupants to watch video in the car and participate in meetings remotely.
All Honda Zero vehicles will be equipped with this new OS and will be updateable over the air. The system also “learns” from and adapts to each “user”. Because in the era of software-defined vehicles, it is the user, not the driver or passenger, who is “enhancing the driving pleasure.”
New partner for Honda’s system-on-chip
Honda also announced a new partnership with Japanese semiconductor maker Renesas to build a system-on-chip to reduce the number of ECUs and handle more processing demands.
Most vehicles today have multiple ECUs handling different systems. Each needs to communicate with each other in milliseconds, which requires a lot of computing power. Because increasing the number of ECUs in a vehicle increases wiring, code, and latency, Honda is partnering with Renesas to create a single ECU for future Zero vehicles.
Honda says its ECUs will handle not only AI but everything from ADAS to powertrain and comfort features, and that will require a chip that can handle all processing demands at once. states.
Honda’s move to bring this development more in-house is part of a broader trend of automakers moving away from off-the-shelf, plug-and-play style options for their software needs. Instead, we are developing bespoke ECUs, chips and other components to meet the growing demand for software-defined vehicles, especially in light of the adoption of AI and self-driving systems.
