Future models in Honda’s 0 Series electric car line-up will all receive distinctive styling, although with a shared focus on bold and simple design language.

The first two models in the range of seven EVs due to be launched between now and 2030 were previewed with the 0 SUV and 0 Saloon prototypes shown at this year’s CES tech event. 

Those two models share some key design philosophies, including simple, bold bodywork and a focus on interior space, but unlike many car families have markedly different treatment in overall proportions and key styling elements such as the front end and lighting.

Toshinobu Minami, head of Honda’s design centre, said that the focus on both initial 0 Series models was to “give them strong characteristics”, because “in a world with a lot of new players such as start-ups and tech firms now building EVs, the electric vehicle could become a bit of a commodity. But these are very different and we wanted to give them a distinct character.”

He added that “we wanted distinctive design to be a pillar of the 0 Series models”.

Minami said that the 0 SUV, which will be the first model to go on sale, was “very close” to production, adding that the bolder Saloon needed “a bit of treatment, but the size and shape will remain the same”.

Minami said that “trying to make the design as pure as possible” will be a pillar of the 0 Series line-up, but added: “We will try to unify the design, but they will not be exactly the same aside from size. 

“These are not cars where there will be one simple design; different cars will be like parent and child. We’ll have a wide spread of a line-up, with more variety than you’d be used to from a European premium brand.” 

The 0 Series models are a stark departure from Honda’s existing line-up, but Minami said that future ICE models would not adopt similar designs. “Hybrid and combustion models are going to be different in terms of design, but dynamic and simple will be key words for all models in the future,” he said.

The 0 SUV and 0 Saloon – which are likely to adopt different names when they go into production – will be joined next year by what is described as an ‘entry-level SUV’, which is expected to be close in size to the current combustion-powered ZR-V.

That car is being developed with a focus on the Asian market, and Mitsuru Kariya, vice-president of Honda’s BEV business unit, insisted that “it’s not decided yet” if it will be offered in Europe, adding: “Personally, I’d like to see it.”

While Honda has said that the Saloon and SUV will be global models, not all of the seven 0 Series products will be offered in every region. Following the entry-level SUV, a large seven-seat SUV is due in 2027, followed by small and medium-size SUVs and a smaller saloon (imagined by Autocar below).

At last year’s CES, Honda displayed a 'Space Hub' MPV concept alongside the saloon, but that model has been shown very little since – although the firm did claim it informed the design of the SUV. Asked about that model’s future, chief designer Daisuke Tsutamori said that “we’re not denying the possibility of doing more with the Space Hub”, but said the focus was on “taking what we explored in that model” and applying it to cars such as the 0 SUV. 

Honda has also not ruled out the prospect of a hot range-topper that could carry the fabled Type R badge. Toshihiro Akiwa, head of Honda’s BEV development centre, said: “With a battery model that has different torque characteristics, you cannot come up with something that is exactly the same as before. 

“With EVs, you have to ask how you can provide the joy of driving. We haven’t given up but it’s not a simple case of adding horsepower; you need to think about sound, vibrations and the feelings that a human can expect. We are looking at solutions to that and we wanted to come up with a proposal.”