Copyright Newsweek
At the Japan Mobility Show in Tokyo, Honda embraced the future of mobility on Earth and beyond with concept and production-ready vehicles that explore the possibilities of tomorrow. The models are part of Honda’s larger goal of achieving carbon neutrality all of its products and corporate activities by 2050. New Electric Vehicles to be Made in America At its large booth space, the Japanese automaker displayed it Honda 0 SUV and Honda 0 Saloon prototypes. Those models represent the flagship vehicles in the Honda 0 battery-electric vehicle lineup. They have been displayed before, but showing them off on Honda's home turf was a nod to the closeness of their production timing, experts told Newsweek. The midsize SUV will be the first Honda 0 model to go on sale, and it will be made in America at Honda’s Ohio plant starting in 2026. It will immediately face competition from the Chevrolet Blazer EV, Kia EV9 and Hyundai Ioniq 9. The 0 Saloon prototype is designed to be a long-bodied flagship with a spacious cabin and sporty styling. Its production is scheduled to begin after the 0 SUV. A vehicle of this size will be positioned where the Volkswagen ID.7 electric car was slated to be before its U.S. market debut was cancelled after several postponements. Honda also displayed the Honda 0 α, a smaller electric SUV model created with the Japanese and Indian markets in mind. Honda expects all three of the models to be on sale by the end of March 2028. The Electric Future of Honda Motorcycles The company also showed the future of its motorcycles division. Honda’s EV Outlier Concept has in-wheel motors in the front and back, stout tires and a low-slung body. With the motorcycle reveal, Honda promised that division will continue to offer “unprecedented value” for customers. Honda’s motorcycles are traditionally lower priced than Yamaha, Suzuki, and Kawasaki models. Honda expects the design language and technology of its prototype to be present in the market in 2030 and beyond. The booth also featured the CUV e, an electric personal commuter scooter powered by Honda Mobile Power Pack (a swappable battery) and the Honda Rebel 1100 with a dual-clutch transmission. An Electric Kei Car Competitor Emerges Honda’s Super-One Prototype made its stage debut at the show. The model, which will come to market in Japan, followed by other Asian markets and the U.K. starting in 2026, was designed to fit in with kei cars but take advantage of the electric propulsion technology for drivers. A special Boost drive mode was created for the model that simulates gear shifts and delivers engine-like sounds to the cabin. Reusable, Sustainable Rockets The rocket Honda launched and landed in Hokkaido, Japan, in June 2025 was on display at the show. Like SpaceX rockets, the Honda rocket is designed to be able to be reused. It also uses renewable fuel sources. The amount of fuel it takes to shoot off a rocket has fallen drastically since the days of NASA’s Saturn missions. The Saturn V rocket used 2,335 tons of liquid hydrogen and RP-1 fuel in the first three minutes of its launch. The SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket can carry just over 410 tons of propellent for its mission. But, Honda is not yet at the point where it can contend with SpaceX. Further testing is still required, as are longer validation missions. It achieved a height of 300 meters in summer testing. The company aims to achieve sub-orbital space flights by 2029. Suborbital space flight is achieved when a spacecraft goes above 100,000 meters in altitude, a mark known as the Kármán line, the internationally recognized boundary between Earth's atmosphere and space. Ready for Takeoff A second iteration of the Honda Jet was featured at the company’s booth. A full-size interior mock-up of the HondaJet Elite II features improved acoustics, a private bathroom with skylight and club style seating. Honda has improved the range of its jet for the new generation. Big Power in a Clean Package The production version of Honda’s BF350 large-size outboard motor was shown in Tokyo. Its engineering follows trends in the car world – high power and fuel efficiency. The flagship motor also has simple and clean styling meant to make it a visually seamless install across various boat sizes and styles. Personal, Hands-Free Mobility The UNI-ONE personal mobility device, an electronic wheelchair of sorts that allows a user to sit at eye level with other people and moves in a desired direction by the user shifting weight rather than using a joystick. It starts in a low position for the user to board, then rises to riding height. According to the U.S. Department of Transportation, an estimated 25.5 million people, approximately 8.5 percent of the population over age five, have disabilities that inhibit travel outside the home.
