Honda Reveals Next-Gen Prototype Duo At CES 2025

Honda revealed a pair of all-electric prototypes at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) on Tuesday. Despite looking like purely conceptual vehicles, the manufacturer says the plan is indeed to put them both into production by the end of 2026.

The pair are focused on implementing as much modern technology as possible while leveraging a relatively flat EV chassis and unique body shape to maximize interior space.

Honda has teased the concept models before. But this is the first time we’ve got a serious look at the vehicles the company has been mulling over. The plan is to make both of these production models sometime in 2026.

Both of the vehicles have plenty of interesting styling cues that help them move beyond the status quo. However, someone at the design department might need to take a second pass at them so they aren’t penalized for being slightly derivative. The Honda 0 Series SUV (above) looks like something Volvo would have put out as a prototype, whereas the 0 Series Saloon (below) could easily be sold as a custom four-door Lamborghini Gallardo from 20 years ago. But that’s if we’re just going on the exterior styling.

Inside, the vehicles are both ultra modern, showcasing the absolute bare minimum in terms of physical controls. In exchange, drivers are met with a series of integrated touch screens that span the whole dashboard — something we’ve seen Chinese EV manufacturers running with in recent years that has migrated over to Western products.

Ditching buttons for more automation and added screen real estate is decidedly less popular in North America, perhaps suggesting that these prototypes weren’t designed with our market in mind. But CES has become a venue for basically any tech-heavy product automakers want to garner some attention in the Western hemisphere and the manufacturer stated that it would like to see both vehicles produced at its facility in Marysville, Ohio.

Honda may just be testing the public reception of these vehicles before finalizing everything for assembly and has said the plan is to launch them in the United States before they migrate to Asia and Europe.

There’s a lot we still don’t know. Neither vehicle has an official name yet and both presently use the “Honda 0 Series” banner. They’re also supposed to feature self-driving technologies that have been overhyped for years and will still require over-the-air updates in order to offer legitimate hands-free driving. They’ll allegedly launch with SAE Level 3 automated capabilities, meaning they’ll have limited self-driving functionality that require drivers to remain fully alert and take over at a moments notice. Honda said that this will eventually lead to something better, however.

Customization is another major component of the EVs. Honda says that drivers will be able to endlessly tweak how the vehicles feel on the road or adjust the infotainment system to create the desired cabin environment. But all that adjustment means that the controls lack any physical connection. Everything will be drive-by-wire and simulate road feedback to the operator.

The 0 Series SUV should launch first and will share its platform with the Honda Prologue, meaning that it’ll likewise be sharing hardware with products from General Motors.

Meanwhile, the Honda 0 Saloon will be its sedan equivalent. However, it’s curious that the automaker uses the British term for what we’d call a sedan when the vehicle is supposed to launch inside North America and actually looks to be a hatchback.

Regardless, these are primarily exercises in design. We haven’t been issued any information as to what’s going to be powering these vehicles once they enter production. But it seems plausible that they’d utilize some the same hardware found in other GM/Honda Ultium vehicles. Although they may not carry that name, since General Motors said it planned on dropping the moniker moving forward.

The only other tidbit of information we have is that the vehicles will be powered by the ASIMO Operating System, named after Honda’s plucky little robot that debuted 25 years ago. However, ASIMO OS doesn’t have much to do with the automaton beyond sharing a title because Honda believes it will be similarly inspirational to the public.

From Honda:

As a software platform, ASIMO OS will apply integrated management of electronic control units (ECUs) for vehicle systems such as automated driving/advanced driver assistance systems (AD/ADAS) and in-vehicle infotainment (IVI) system.

By constantly updating the in-vehicle software based on the ASIMO OS through over the air (OTA) updates, even after the purchase of the vehicle, functions and services will be continuously advanced in accordance with the preferences and needs of each individual user. These OTA updates to both the digital UX and integrated dynamics controls will allow Honda to deliver a personalized ownership experience that will enhance the joy of driving.

Honda is planning to install ASIMO OS to all Honda 0 Series models, including production models of the Honda 0 SUV and Honda 0 Saloon.

Connectivity has been a major focal point for automakers and remains so in 2025. Like most automakers, Honda wants to leverage data collection and vehicle customization via over-the-air updates so it can be monetized. The term “ownership experience” is also kind of unsettling when digital gatekeeping and subscription models are all the rage.

The above will allegedly pave the way for automated driving technologies the manufacturer stated would improve over time. Honda said this was all part of its desire to eventually field “eyes-off technology [that] will lead to the realization of zero traffic collision fatalities in the future.” But it sounds like you’ll still have to purchase it separately, perhaps in a manner similar to what we’ve seen with Tesla’s so-called Full Self-Driving (FSD) suite.

In the meantime, Honda wants to use artificial intelligence and a mountain of real-world driving data to help train the systems required to make true self-driving technology a reality. An interesting angle to this is how the brand wants to develop a “cooperative AI” that would drive more defensively and could be utilized even when the human driver is making all the decisions.

The rest of Honda’s announcement pertained to procuring the necessary chip sets to make the above possible, expanding EV charging networks, and establishing corporate partnerships that would help achieve “carbon neutrality” via two-way charging at home. Amazon Web Services (AWS) was also announced as a partner helping the company develop software for forthcoming EVs in terms of data analysis, battery management, video services, over-the-air updates, and more.

While Honda says it’s planning to put all of the above into production, we don’t really know how it’ll come together. A lot of what the company is promising hasn’t resonated with the typical consumer in recent years, occasionally ends up being released half baked, and mimics what we’ve been hearing from other manufacturers. But this has not prevented the entire automotive industry from continuing down the path and Honda has effectively said the 0 Series will serve as the next generation of Honda vehicles.

We’d hold off on making any final judgements. Both of the vehicle designs are subject to change and we don’t even know what size battery or propulsion system they’ll be using. Expect Honda to debut more consumer-friendly examples of the 0 Series prototypes sometime in 2025, with their formal launches taking place the following year.

[Images: Honda]

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Source: The Truth About Cars