Honda just announced these jaw-dropping EV concepts at CES 2025: Are these the cars of the future?

On Tuesday morning, Honda came out swinging at the consumer tech show in Las Vegas. Building on last year's CES presentation, the automaker committed to producing two 0 Series models throughout 2026 at their EV Hub in Marysville, Ohio, north of Columbus.

The official names haven't been revealed, but the two cars are a midsize electric SUV with no name and a flagship sports sedan prototype dubbed the Saloon. While both are currently prototypes, Honda claims that they will become production models next year.

Both models are designed to use Level 3 automated driving, with the eventual "eyes-off" ability to drive while doing something else, like watching a movie or attending a Zoom call. Honda also credits a new operating system with creating an individualized, custom driving experience that can adjust everything from road performance to infotainment settings. The production versions are intended to launch in the U.S. market and then reach Japan and Europe.

The Honda 0 SUV will come first
The 0 Series SUV will be released first in 2026 on Honda's dedicated EV platform (the already available Honda Prologue uses General Motors' battery platform). At last year's CES, Honda introduced it as "Concept Space-Hub," emphasizing the interior passenger space.

While the company has not released many details on its specs, we know that the steering wheel, suspension, and brakes will be controlled by a steer-by-wire system.

The sporty Honda 0 Saloon will follow in its footsteps
The Saloon's distinctive wedge shape made for lots of chatter at CES last year, so the production version will likely have a similar shape. Honda describes its low stance, pinched front end, and boxy, sloped backside as sporty. It's a distinct look, and no other EV on the road looks alike. The Saloon will follow the SUV in the latter part of 2026.

A new operating system
The 0 Series will be the first vehicles to use ASIMO OS, Honda's in-house operating system named for Honda's humanoid robot first introduced in 2000 and an acronym for "Advanced Step in Innovative Mobility."

As the 0 Series is quintessentially "next-gen," Honda wanted to incorporate modern robotics and a software-defined architecture into the vehicles. This would bring advanced driving systems, autonomous driving, and infotainment features to the SUV and Sedan.

Amazon behind the scenes 
Amazon Web Services, known as AWS, was also announced Tuesday as a new Honda partner that will provide the software for the new EVs while also helping to design and build them.

AWS will be a necessary component of the advanced driving features, along with video and other infotainment and safety systems. With Honda's end goal of providing a close-to-driverless experience, it will need to be able to update the software consistently and frequently. 

AWS will also help charge the prototypes' batteries. Using a generative AI system, the cars will analyze real-time data such as location, battery status, charging times, and fees to determine where to publicly charge the battery-powered vehicles.

Final thoughts
Honda has shown that its electric concepts and prototypes can come to life and succeed with the Prologue electric SUV that was first shown in 2022 before becoming a sleeper hit in 2024. 

While it's easy to knock the overly futuristic wedge and boxy SUV presented at CES this year, it seems likely that Honda will eventually produce something a bit more consumer-friendly next year, or at least soon, to fill EV gaps in its lineup.