At last year’s CES, Honda presented one of the most interesting concept designs with two Honda Zero prototypes called Saloon and Space-Hub. Honda has promised to come to the showroom with “closer to production” models a year later.
Honda came to CES 2025 with two cars, 0 Saloon and 0 SUV; Cars that retain many of the futuristic features of Honda’s previous concepts and look more exciting.
The Saloon does not have a rear window, and in fact, the rectangular black panel behind the car, which is deepened by unique lighting, is not transparent.
Honda has used a camera instead of traditional mirrors. Drivers who want to check their blind spots must use two screens built into either end of the long piece of glass that spans the entire dashboard.
The 0 SUV looks less exotic than the Saloon, which probably means we’ll see it in production before the sedan. There is a rear window in this car and the feeling of the open space of the cabin refers to the design principles of the Honda Zero.
There is no detailed technical information about any of the cars. Honda says the Zero electric cars will benefit from the automaker’s experience in Formula One racing. Honda seeks to optimize battery efficiency through the e-Axle system, which includes a motor, inverter and transmission that converts electric power into energy for driving. Saloon and SUV 0 are expected to have a range of about 480 km with a battery of 80-90 kWh.
Another important point is trying to integrate electronic control units; A similar approach to the R1 cars recently introduced by Rivian. By reducing the number of parts and wiring, Honda is clearly trying to control costs in a situation where production costs seem to be on the rise.
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The lack of physical buttons on Honda’s new cars is a clear sign that automakers are still ignoring customers’ pleas to stop moving all functions to the screen. Trying to adjust the temperature by blindly touching the touchscreen while driving at 120 km/h doesn’t sound like a great idea.
