The death of the Honda 0 Series is heartbreaking, but what it signals is even worse

I’m a fortunate soul to be given the chance to see far into the future of many car manufacturers. And with so much upheaval around the car industry due to decarbonisation, the pressure to autonomise, digitise, and streamline development and engineering, legacy brands are being forced into big change – big, ambitious and expensive change – and gosh it’s exciting. 

Honda is one of these manufacturers, and when it launched the 0 Series program in Las Vegas a few years back, it signalled a clear intention of total reform. Since then I’ve seen the 0 Series prototypes, sat in the concepts, and listened to passionate engineers and designers talk about this once-in-a-lifetime chance to reimagine Honda in the electric age. 

When I toured Honda’s proving ground in 2025, I saw a rolling chassis of the 0 Series saloon and its absolutely incredible proportions. The crazy shapes of its fundamental structure blew me away; it was so different and innovative. This one program proved that Honda really was in the process of building a four-door saloon that looked just as wild and futuristic as those wonderful concepts. 

And just like that, it’s gone. Honda is scrapping the whole 0 Series program, and it’s knocked me for six. I don’t have a particular affinity for the brand, but of all the future-gazing that I’ve been privileged to experience over the last few years, nothing made me more excited than the 0 Series. 

But this feels more significant than just a Japanese car company cancelling a new model. It’s as if the future that I was so looking forward to – a more responsible, equitable and respectful future – is fading away. I’m by no means an EV advocate in the traditional sense; I love a flat-six petrol engine just as much as the next car nut, but the death of this Honda engineering program – which was almost exclusively based in the US – is the result of darker, harsher reasons.  

The sharpness of Honda’s official statement spoke volumes of the obvious frustrations being felt. ”Setting a goal to realize carbon neutrality for all products and corporate activities Honda is involved in by 2050, Honda undertook a major strategic shift toward the popularisation of EVs based on the belief that EVs will be the optimal solution to realize carbon neutrality, especially for small-size mobility products, including passenger cars, from a long-term perspective.

“However, the profitability of Honda’s automobile business is currently declining due primarily to the unfavorable impact of changes in U.S. tariff policies on the gasoline and hybrid vehicle business.

“Previously, with stringent environmental regulations fully implemented in the US and other countries, Honda pursued EV adoption with strong determination that striving for carbon neutrality is a responsibility Honda, as a manufacturer of mobility products, must fulfill for the future. However, in the US, the expansion of the EV market has slowed down due to several factors including the easing of fossil fuel regulations and revisions to EV incentives.”

In effect, the Trump administration and its vendetta against anything that might even pertain to be ‘environmentally friendly’, is wreaking havoc not just in US domestic affairs, but also on innovation at a larger, global scale. Just like the oil lobby that destroyed electric cars in the late nineties, it once again feels like vested interests have won the day – only this time they’ve been given the red carpet treatment by some of those in power. 

I am buoyed by the fact that most car company bosses seem to resist these backwards steps when it comes to the destruction of environmental policy. In remaining committed to EVs, many car companies seem to be holding steady in the pressure cooker that is the modern car industry. Unfortunately for Honda, the reality of building an EV in the US under the current administration is just too tough of a task to pull off. 

From my perspective in the media, the reality of losing legacy car companies due to modern challenges surrounding enhanced competition and decarbonisation isn’t lost on me. But the end of 0 Series still hurts, and I can’t help but feel it’s just the first of many big exciting projects to fold. 

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