1st Aug 2024 – Honda today announced that the Saloon, the flagship concept model for the Honda 0 Series, the new Honda EV series, has been awarded the ‘Red Dot: Best of the Best 2024’ award, in the Design Concept competition of the Red Dot Design Award*1, one of the most respected design awards in the world. The Space-Hub, another concept model of the Honda 0 Series, was named a Red Dot winner in the same competition.
Representing the major transformation of Honda under its redefined Global Brand Slogan, The Power of Dreams, and its approach to electrification, the Honda 0 Series made its world debut in the U.S. at CES 2024 in January of this year. The Saloon is positioned as the flagship concept model among Honda 0 Series models, embodying a new approach to Honda EV development – Thin, Light, and Wise – that Honda is pursuing to create new value for EVs.
Featuring a one-motion form (styling characterized by a line rising smoothly from the front to the rear) and a low & wide design, the exterior styling of the Saloon expresses the suppleness and dynamism of the vehicle. The upright design of the side glass creates an expansive side panel while the shape narrows toward the side sills to accentuate the tires.
The interior features a simple and intuitive human-machine interface (HMI) that provides a sophisticated and seamless user interface (UI). The sporty styling with low vehicle height, sets the Saloon apart from other vehicles at first glance, realizing not only a seductive design but also providing an interior space that is more spacious than what people can imagine from the exterior appearance.
The Space-Hub is a concept model that represents Honda’s “M/M concept*2” and the new value of EVs as a “space” for people that Honda wants to realize in the future. Realizing a spacious cabin and excellent visibility based on the “Thin, Light, and Wise” development approach, the Space-Hub offers a flexible space that immediately accommodates what the users want to do and becomes a hub that connects people to people and people to society, generating mutual resonance with each other.
Based on the Honda 0 Series design concept, “The Art of Resonance,” the exterior design features bold and pure proportions, evoking new perspectives in people at first glance.
As with the case of the Saloon, the interior of the Space-Hub features a simple and intuitive human-machine interface (HMI), and at the same time, the M/M concept fitting the EV era has been pursued to realize an overwhelmingly large cabin space with a high degree of freedom and outstanding occupant comfort.
■Comments by Toshinobu Minami, Managing Director, Chief Operating Officer,
Design Center, Honda R&D Co., Ltd.:
“We are pleased to be awarded the world-renowned Red Dot Award in the Design Concept competition, in addition to the awards we received in the Product Design competition, announced in April. We designed the Saloon, named the “Best of the Best,” as a model that represents the major transformation of Honda, with the theme of achieving a “resonance with the environment, society, and customers” and with an original design that differentiates the Saloon from other models from the first glance. We believe these awards are the result of receiving a high evaluation both for the design and the new value Honda offers. Honda will continue to create and offer mobility products that bring surprise and excitement to people’s daily lives.”