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

Though there is a ton of knowledge displaying 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 probably the most rapidly. 

Honda is spending large 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, they usually have that identify for a cause: they seem to be a daring reset for an organization 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 mates 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 might provide prospects after they begin to go on sale (hopefully) subsequent 12 months. With screens spanning the complete dashboard, a yoke-like steering wheel and appears which were 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 put in writing these off as simply distant, dreamy idea automobiles. However that is Honda we’re speaking about; it would not actually do idea automobiles like different automakers do, preferring as an alternative to point out off issues which can be near their closing designs. “In Honda-speak, [a Prototype] is normally fairly near mass manufacturing,” Rivers says within the video. The 0 Sequence Saloon is a protracted car—virtually Odyssey minivan-sized—a type 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 know-how can be launched in phases over time with over-the-air software program updates.

“We wish to be the world’s first automaker to convey Stage 3 autonomous driving to all highway varieties and circumstances,” Rivers says, referring to a system the place a automotive can drive itself practically 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 highway now; to this point, solely sure Mercedes-Benz automobiles provide 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 probably the most on the market. The yoke steering wheel is upside-down to permit simpler entry, however then it turns the fitting means 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 quite a lot of screens, “We wished the whole lot to be clear and simple to make use of,” Rivers says.

And sure, they may nonetheless have Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, he provides. 

Photograph by: InsideEVs

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

Photograph by: InsideEVs

Just like the Sony-Honda Afeela EVs—which may 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 common in China that usually perplexes Western audiences a bit. There are different prospers right here which can be pervasive in China as nicely, like a type of “ambiance mode” to relax the vibes throughout a protracted highway journey.  

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

Rivers provides that Honda is concentrating on “a minimum of 300 miles of vary for all the 0 Sequence fashions—we have a look at that as the brand new benchmark.” Extra specs ought to 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 really perfect goal, however it may very well be outclassed by different rivals in 2026. 

The 0 Sequence Saloon is certainly 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 just about “kammback” rear finish is probably not everybody’s jam, however it helps with aerodynamics and vary—and the opening itself appears fairly cavernous. Verify this out: 

Photograph by: InsideEVs

You would match put quite a lot of gear into that. Inside, the story is just like the 0 Sequence Saloon: a yoke steering wheel (with steer-by-wire know-how, too), the all-screen dashboard and the Asimo OS software program system. The prototypes even have cameras as an alternative of aspect mirrors, however whether or not these make it to manufacturing are most likely 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 likewise able to over-the-air software program updates. 

Rivers provides that the 0 Sequence household can be a type of “sub-brand, a extra premium model that may appeal to quite a lot of new prospects.” 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 carried out very nicely for Honda partially as a result of it is so regular; it looks like a straightforward 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 usually 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 value has been projected round $50,000 after they begin to go on sale in 2026. But when they do find yourself providing an amazing mixture of options, vary and the model that is been warmly acquired to this point, perhaps they’re going to put Honda into the trendy EV sport for actual. 

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