Honda CES releases the future-oriented Series 0, the first "Made in America" electric vehicle will debut next year, powered by autonomous driving software AI
Honda showcased two 0 Series prototype vehicles at CES - a sedan and an SUV, both of which will be manufactured at its factories in the United States. The mass-produced SUV is set to launch in North America in the first half of 2026, while production of the sedan will begin by the end of the same year. Both 0 Series vehicles will be equipped with an operating system called ASIMO OS, as well as autonomous driving software co-developed by Honda and the unsupervised learning startup Helm.AI. Honda will collaborate with Renesas Electronics to develop high-performance system-on-chip (SoC) solutions for the 0 Series vehicles
The annual consumer technology industry event - the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas, USA - saw Japanese automotive giant Honda Motor unveil new electric vehicles (EVs) set to be released in the coming year, including the first "American-made" electric vehicle.
On Tuesday, January 7th, Eastern Time, Honda showcased two prototype vehicles at this year's CES, both belonging to Honda's 0 series. One is an electric sedan named Saloon, and the other is an electric SUV named Space-Hub. The Saloon features a sloping fastback design with unique rectangular lights at both the front and rear, reminiscent of the old Black & Decker vacuum cleaner. The Space-Hub resembles a small van, with a compact design, and its taillights are similar to those of the electric delivery vehicle designed by Rivian for Amazon.
Honda stated that the production version of the SUV in the 0 series will first be launched in North America in the first half of 2026, making it the first model to enter production in this series. This mid-size SUV will be manufactured at Honda's "EV Hub" plant in Ohio, USA, before being introduced to other global markets, including Japan and Europe. The electric sedan in the 0 series is set to begin production at the same American plant by the end of 2026, followed by launches in other countries.
When Honda previewed the new vehicles to be unveiled at CES last month, it mentioned that the 0 series is developed based on the concept of "Thin, Light and Wise." This CES will focus on the "Wise" value of the 0 series, including the value brought by the original vehicle operating system (OS) and autonomous driving technology implemented in this series, as well as an overview of the system-on-chip (SoC) that supports the 0 series vehicles as software-defined vehicles (SDV).
At this CES, Honda referred to the 0 series as a brand new global EV series, which will be "lighter" and more aligned with the space age compared to the current bulky, boxy electric SUVs and trucks, embodying Honda's development definition of lightness, thinness, and intelligence for the 0 series. Honda plans to leverage experiences gained from F1 and robotics technology to launch a series of distinctly futuristic new models.
The Space-Hub SUV is the first model in the 0 series to be produced using a newly developed dedicated EV architecture.
On Tuesday, Honda also announced that the software for the 0 series vehicles is called ASIMO OS. The name ASIMO comes from Honda's humanoid robot developed over twenty years ago. The first version of this humanoid robot debuted in 2000 and welcomed then-U.S. President Obama during his visit to Japan in 2014, performing soccer kicks and jumps. In 2022, the last generation of ASIMO was officially "retired."
Honda stated that the new operating system ASIMO OS will "provide a customized mobility experience for each user," but did not elaborate on this. Some commentators noted that Honda's integration of electrical architecture with the in-vehicle infotainment system is a current trend
Honda did not provide specifications for the SUV in the 0 series on Tuesday. However, the company stated that the model will use ASIMO OS and a steer-by-wire system that can integrate control of electronic devices such as the steering wheel, suspension, and brakes. The electric vehicles in the 0 series will also utilize autonomous driving software co-developed by Honda and the unsupervised learning startup Helm.AI.
Honda's original AI technology combines Helm.ai's unsupervised learning technology with behavior models of experienced drivers, allowing artificial intelligence (AI) to learn with less data and effectively expand the range of available autonomous driving and driving assistance. The autonomous driving level of the 0 series will reach Level 3.
On Tuesday, Honda also announced an agreement with Renesas Electronics to develop high-performance SoCs to achieve Honda's goal of launching SDVs with the 0 series models. Honda and Renesas will develop a system that utilizes multi-chip technology, combining Renesas' fifth-generation (Gen 5) R-Car X5 SoC series with Honda's independently developed AI accelerator optimized for AI software. Through this combination, the two companies aim to develop a system that achieves one of the industry's top AI performances, with a Sparse TOPS3 problem-solving score of 2000 and a power consumption of 20 TOPS/W