What we know!
Built at Honda’s EV Hub in Ohio and carrying the flag for the automaker’s Next-Gen EVs, the O series will take the shape of a midsize electric SUV in the first half of 2026. On the path toward production, the O Saloon concept’s two giant gullwing doors have been replaced with four conventional doors, and the steering yoke no longer retracts into the dashboard. In addition, a pair of proper headlights have sprouted above the fascia.
When it comes to the final design, though, there may be some fancy touches that might not make the final cut. For example, the headlights have retracting covers, the wheels are straight out of a concept-car fever dream, and the steering yoke automatically rotates 180 degrees when the car is switched off to make entering and exiting much easier. The O Saloon prototype also features a lidar wart on its forehead, a component that is absent from the O SUV. It looks strikingly similar to the 2024 CES concept car, and serves to bring forth the futuristic look Honda desires.
The O SUV is clearly bulkier than the Saloon but still has a raked windshield and a relatively low roofline. The front end boasts a black panel that houses pixelated headlights and an illuminated Honda log, which sits above a chunky bumper with a vent for cooling the battery. A black roof serves to provide a two-tone look, and the side windows rise upward at the rear door before abruptly stopping, thus creating a thick D-pillar. At rear, the windshield is unusually thin, featuring a U-shaped tail light wrapped around it.
Interiors within are similar, with a dashboard dominated by screens, including a digital gauge cluster, a central touchscreen, a dedicated display for the front passenger and two peripheral screens showing side cameras’ views. Absent are physical controls, with the exception of the stalks that reside behind the yoke-style steering wheel.
Drivers and passengers alike enjoy seating for four, with wide, sculpted rear seats and a sprawling amount of rear-seat legroom. Up front, five screens stretch across the dashboard from pillar to pillar. It is not certain if the outboard screens that show images from the rear-facing side view cameras will be replaced or complemented by mirrors for production.
When it comes to powertrain details, there is much not yet known, with Honda being hush hush on the plan. But from the prototype last fall, it is certain that the automaker is aiming for at least 300 miles of range from all O Series vehicles. The 400-volt battery will charge with the Tesla-designed NACS port from 15-80 percent in a claimed 10-15 minutes.
In the area of next-gen software, the O Saloon will be a showcase like the Honda O SUV. Honda assures that the O Series vehicles will have the capabilities of Level 3 eyes-off-the-road automated driving although a slow and conservative roll out is planned. That, according to information available thus far, will work only as a highway traffic-jam assistant at low speeds and on limited-access roads, with higher speeds and more roads added with time.
The O Series vehicle will work through the use of a steer-by-wire system similar to the Tesla Cyber Truck and a computing platform that should allow Honda to deliver the kind of over-the-air updates Tesla and Rivian have already introduced.
Through electrical/electronic architecture, the new ASIMO OS operating system is realized. It was developed in-house and a custom system-on-chip was created in collaboration with Renesas and pays tribute to the humanoid ASIMO robot first revealed by Honda in 2000. This single central computer serves to take over many ECUS in today’s cars, thoroughly combining driver assistance, powertrain control and convenience features all in one device. Through this platform, Honda will have the ability to improve or update almost any aspect of the vehicle via over-the-air software downloads.
To manage both the ASIMO OS and the Level 3 autonomous driving system, Honda will enter an agreement with Renesas to develop a high-performance system-on-chip for the O-Series models. They are also establishing a charging network through a joint venture with seven other automakers called IONNA, thus targeting 30,000 charging stations by 2030; four beta sites are currently operational.
On top of its advances, the O Series also marks a restart for Honda’s overall EV strategy, which currently leans on GM’s Ultium technology for the Acura ZDX and Honda Prologue. Through the O Saloon and the O SUV as well as the production of the Honda Prologue, the automaker has solidified its commitment not only toward EVs but also in modernizing its computing and electrical architectures to keep up with the rest of the industry. Add to that the Saloon’s wild design, and Honda has seized the future!
With its aerodynamic bodywork and the aim to make capable Level 3 autonomy, the O Saloon and O SUV are due in the first half and second half of 2026 respectively. That is when they will both go on sale in North America. These O-series vehicles will automatically charge themselves when charging at home when electricity costs are low and when renewable energy can be used to supply power, with the EVs also sending back excess energy to the grid when electricity costs are high or electricity is in short supply.
Staring at $50,000, Honda’s next-gen EV looks futuristic, almost out of a sci-fi movie, with a plethora of interesting features. Keep an eye out on the details and take advantage of this o so futuristic offering!