TOKYO: Japan’s Honda Motor Co. will launch its new electric vehicle brand “0” (zero) in the North American market first in 2026.
Under the development philosophy of “Thin, Light and Wise,” the new brand’s EVs will be lightweight and compact by incorporating artificial intelligence and other cutting-edge technologies. The brand is positioned as a key player in Honda’s global strategy to counter rivals Tesla Inc. of the United States and BYD Co. of China.
“We’re convinced that the direction of 0 is not wrong,” Honda President and CEO Toshihiro Mibe told a press conference in the town of Haga, Tochigi Prefecture, eastern Japan, on Oct. 2. Starting with the North American market, Honda plans eventually spread the new brand worldwide, releasing a total of seven models of varying sizes by 2030, when EV sales are expected to be dominant in the global vehicle market.
Honda also plans to introduce the new brand in Japan. “We are thinking about various things,” Mibe said of the domestic sales strategy for the 0 series.
The automaker has already unveiled prototypes of the 0 series such as the Saloon low-height sedan shaped like a sports car. At the Consumer Electronics Show to be held in Las Vegas in January 2025, the company is considering unveiling a vehicle closer to a mass-production model of the new brand.
EVs tend to carry heavier batteries as their driving range increases, resulting in a larger vehicle body.
Honda’s new EV series will feature a specially developed thin battery pack and unique bonding technology. The automaker also plans to install in the 0-brand EVs an “eyes-off” function that conditionally enables automatic driving when the driver takes his or her eyes off from the direction of travel.
Last autumn, Honda announced the suspension of its joint development plan for mass-market EVs with General Motors Co. of the United States due to business environment changes. It newly formed a three-way alliance with domestic peers Nissan Motor Co. and Mitsubishi Motors Corp. mainly in the EV business.
While Mibe said the 0 series is being developed “100 percent with Honda’s technologies,” there is a chance that the three Japanese automakers will cooperate for the brand in the future.
JIJI Press