Honda to Launch New EV Brand "0" in 2026

Tokyo, Oct. 9 (Jiji Press)--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.

[Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.]