The Honda 0 α (alpha) prototype has made its global debut at the Tokyo motor show today, previewing a new compact SUV for the upcoming Honda 0 Series range of electric vehicles (EVs) which are under consideration for Australian release.
Honda’s 0 Series of dedicated EVs was first previewed at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas in January 2025, in the form of two concepts – a large SUV and a sedan – and when it teased the new 0 Series prototype earlier this month, Honda described it as a new “affordable” electric SUV for its forthcoming EV sub-brand.
Reiterating that today, Honda said the 0 α prototype, which has a unique roofline and smaller proportions than the large 0 Series electric SUV revealed at the CES, “is being developed as an SUV that will blend beautifully with both urban and natural environments, supporting people’s lives in every situation”.
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It said the 0 α would join the 0 Saloon and the 0 SUV as the “gateway model” in the Honda 0 Series range, and that the production version of the prototype you see here is scheduled to go on sale globally, “mainly in Japan and India”, starting in 2027.
Developed under the ‘Thin, Light, and Wise’ mantra, Honda says its all-new compact electric SUV has a spacious cabin that offers “outstanding occupant comfort”, wrapped in a sleek exterior design with a low overall height that was “achieved without compromising ground clearance”.
The prototype presents a more advanced version of the front-end design theme seen on recent EVs like the Honda e, and it has a boxy rear-end with a thick C/D-pillar treatment that will almost certainly limit rear vision.
Also seen on the prototype are screen areas at both the front- and rear-ends of the vehicle. Up front, the full-width digital ‘grille’ incorporates LED headlights linked by a continuous LED light bar, with an illuminated H logo in the middle. At the rear, a huge red U-shaped LED graphic underlines the Honda wordmark and contains the tail-lights, reversing lights and indicators.
No other information has been supplied, but all three 0 Seres EVs are strong candidates for release in Australia, where Honda beat Toyota to releasing its first hybrid vehicle – the Insight hatch back in 2001 – but is yet to offer a single EV.
Honda Australia told media earlier this year that it will launch its first battery-powered model here in 2026 – and that it wants the 0 Series models for local showrooms. When asked by CarExpert which models it is seeking to release, managing director Rob Thorp said: “All of them”.
In confirming its first EV in 2026 – alongside a new, hybrid-powered Prelude sports car – Honda Australia didn’t confirm if an 0 Series model will be its first EV to appear in local showrooms, or whether it would be followed by other EVs from its global lineup.
Globally, Honda has pulled back on its investment in electric cars, slashing its ¥10 trillion (A$105 billion) EV budget by one-third earlier this year and abandoning its previous goal of EVs accounting for 30 per cent of its sales by 2030.
Instead, Honda has switched its focus to hybrid vehicles, which its Australian division expects to account for 90 per cent of its sales as soon as mid-2026.
