Honda 0 Sequence EVs Maintain Apple CarPlay. Every thing Else Is A Radical Reset

Despite the fact that there is a ton of knowledge exhibiting that individuals wish to purchase electrical autos from Japanese auto manufacturers, that nation’s automotive trade is fairly far behind the curve on aggressive all-electric choices. However of all of the Japanese automakers, Honda might be working to catch up essentially the most shortly. 

Honda is spending massive on battery and software program R&D, it is opening a new manufacturing “hub” in Ohio this 12 months, and it’ll roll out a radically new household of electrical fashions in 2026. These automobiles are known as the 0 Sequence EVs, and so they have that title for a purpose: they are a daring reset for a corporation most well-known for its high-quality inner combustion engines. 

In different phrases, these automobiles aren’t your father’s Hondas. A video tour from our buddies at TFLEV of the 2 prototypes proven at CES reveals why. 

In these movies, host Nathan checks out the 0 Sequence Saloon and 0 Sequence SUV “Prototypes” with Honda’s Jonathon Rivers to see what they may supply clients once they begin to go on sale (hopefully) subsequent 12 months. With screens spanning your entire dashboard, a yoke-like steering wheel and appears which have been in comparison with Lamborghini’s automobiles, each really feel like they’re 20 or 30 years forward of your garden-variety Accord or CR-V. 

It might be straightforward to write down these off as simply distant, dreamy idea automobiles. However that is Honda we’re speaking about; it does not actually do idea automobiles like different automakers do, preferring as a substitute to indicate off issues which are near their last designs. “In Honda-speak, [a Prototype] is often fairly near mass manufacturing,” Rivers says within the video. The 0 Sequence Saloon is a protracted car—virtually Odyssey minivan-sized—a form of govt limo constructed to maximise inside house. It’s going to have superior hands-off, eyes-off automated driving help tech, however Rivers confirms that this expertise shall be launched in phases over time with over-the-air software program updates.

“We wish to be the world’s first automaker to deliver Stage 3 autonomous driving to all street sorts and circumstances,” Rivers says, referring to a system the place a automotive can drive itself almost all the time so long as a human driver is able to take management of the car always. That is a giant quantum leap over what’s on the street now; up to now, solely sure Mercedes-Benz automobiles supply true Stage 3 driving, albeit in very restricted makes use of. 

However I might argue that the within of the 0 Sequence is the place issues get essentially the most on the market. The yoke steering wheel is upside-down to permit simpler entry, however then it turns the appropriate method for precise driving. The hi-res shows evoke the Lucid Air or China’s EVs and buttons are few and much between. Although it is a variety of screens, “We needed every thing to be clear and straightforward to make use of,” Rivers says.

And sure, they are going to nonetheless have Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, he provides. 

Picture by: InsideEVs

I am slightly unhappy to see that like Tesla and Rivian’s EVs, you should modify your air con and venting instructions through the touchscreen. I personally have not examined any EVs the place that is a greater person expertise than old-school vents and buttons, however hey, I am not an automotive engineer, so what do I do know? 

Picture by: InsideEVs

Just like the Sony-Honda Afeela EVs—which will even be constructed at Honda’s Ohio EV hub and are anticipated to be associated in some ways—the 0 Sequence fashions do really feel designed to compete with China’s software-driven electrical fashions. That is why the 0 Sequence additionally has a passenger-facing display, one thing standard in China that always perplexes Western audiences a bit. There are different thrives right here which are pervasive in China as nicely, like a form of “ambiance mode” to relax the vibes throughout a protracted street journey.  

Nonetheless, Rivers insists that the high-quality animations and touchscreen-based controls are what Honda needs to deliver to manufacturing. The display operates the driving modes, navigation, leisure and almost all different features. 

Rivers provides that Honda is concentrating on “no less than 300 miles of vary for all the 0 Sequence fashions—we have a look at that as the brand new benchmark.” Extra specs must be revealed nearer to launch, he says. With a bit of luck, automobiles just like the low-slung 0 Sequence Saloon will do even higher; 300 miles of vary is certainly a perfect goal, however it could possibly be outclassed by different rivals in 2026. 

The 0 Sequence Saloon is unquestionably the tip of the spear high-tech flagship of the brand new line. However the 0 Sequence SUV might be going to be the moneymaker of the household. It is because of be the primary one in-built Ohio and this prototype too is “very shut” to its manufacturing design. 

The virtually “kammback” rear finish is probably not everybody’s jam, however it helps with aerodynamics and vary—and the opening itself appears fairly cavernous. Test this out: 

Picture by: InsideEVs

You possibly can match put a variety of gear into that. Inside, the story is just like the 0 Sequence Saloon: a yoke steering wheel (with steer-by-wire expertise, too), the all-screen dashboard and the Asimo OS software program system. The prototypes even have cameras as a substitute of aspect mirrors, however whether or not these make it to manufacturing are in all probability as much as American security laws; different international locations have them however we don’t. In any other case, the SUV is remarkably spacious all through, powered by AI for numerous options and in addition able to over-the-air software program updates. 

Rivers provides that the 0 Sequence household shall be a form of “sub-brand, a extra premium model that may appeal to a variety of new clients.” After which he mentions the Honda Prologue, which is the place my thoughts went right here as nicely. Moreover the aggressive lease offers, the Basic Motors-based Prologue has accomplished very nicely for Honda partly as a result of it is so regular; it looks like a simple transition to the electrical world for somebody who’s perhaps been driving a CR-V for the previous 5 years (or maybe 20, as a result of they are typically indestructible.) 

The 0 Sequence automobiles aren’t that. They’re as futuristic as we have seen from any so-called “conventional” automotive model. Will folks be into them? Their beginning worth has been projected round $50,000 once they begin to go on sale in 2026. But when they do find yourself providing an excellent mixture of options, vary and the type that is been warmly obtained up to now, perhaps they will put Honda into the fashionable EV sport for actual. 

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