Transportation

Honda unveils new line of EVs

Shinji Aoyama, director, executive vice president and representative officer, Honda Motor Co., speaks next to the newly unveiled concept car, the Honda Zero Series "Space-Hub" electric vehicle during a Honda news conference during the CES tech show Tuesday, Jan. 9, 2024, in Las Vegas.

Honda unveiled two concept electric vehicles (EVs) during CES in Las Vegas, part of the company’s new line of EVs that will go into production in 2026. 

The vehicles, called the “Honda 0 Series,” were developed using the company’s new “electrification” design.

“We have gone back to basics and formulated the Honda 0 Series with a design for the new era,” said Shinji Aoyama, Honda’s global executive vice president. “A bold and pure proportion that from the first glance is overwhelmingly different from other EVs to evoke a new perspective for people.”

The two vehicles in the Honda’s 0 Series are dubbed Space-Hub and Saloon. Space-Hub is a van that features “flexible” space and can accommodate a “variety” of passengers, according to Honda. The Saloon is a hatchback and has a “low” and “wide” exterior along with a “spacious” interior, according to Honda. It will debut a new “steer-by-wire” and motion control management systems. The sale of the Saloon in North America is expected in 2026. 

A new Honda logo, which will be featured on the new 0 Series EVs, won’t have the box that surrounds the current logo.

In 2022, Honda announced it would spend $40 billion to develop EVs, joining a fleet of automakers making similar moves. The Japanese manufacturer said it would launch 30 EV models by 2030. The company promised in 2021 to dive into the emission-free future by only selling battery-EVs by 2040 in major markets such as Japan, China and North America.

The Japanese manufacturer trails competitors in selling fully electric vehicles; it does not currently have any fully electric vehicles on sale in the United States. Its first EV for the U.S. market was the Prologue SUV, which was built in partnership with General Motors Co. (GM) and debuted in 2023.

Other manufacturers, such as GM, Ford and Kia, have several EV models on the market.