JMS 2025: Honda 0 α Prototype Unveiled as Brand’s New Compact Global EV SUV

The new Honda 0 α prototype previews a new compact global EV SUV with futuristic design and advanced technology.

Honda has expanded its 0 Series EV lineup by unveiling the latest prototype model, the Honda 0 α (Alpha), at the ongoing Japan Mobility Show 2025 (JMS 2025). This futuristic-looking EV SUV will be one of the brand’s most ambitious projects, as it will spawn Honda’s new compact global EV model set for production later in 2027.

Interestingly, Honda deliberately labelled the Alpha EV as a prototype, which in the automaker’s lingo means that it is a pre-production prototype rather than a pure concept. That said, the Alpha does look quite similar to the 0 SUV unveiled earlier, thus making us wonder whether the actual production version will look remotely similar to this prototype.

That is because the Alpha is essentially a shrunken version of the 0 SUV, featuring a similar futuristic SUV style with intricate design bits and unique proportions. That said, the Alpha’s front design slightly deviates from the 0 SUV, as it features a set of different LED headlights with a full-width bar plus a more aggressive front bumper, while retaining the same illuminated Honda badge at the centre.

Both models, however, are quite similar as we move further back, as the Alpha retains the same odd-shaped side profile with a reclining roof design and thick rear pillars, matched with hidden door handles, flared-out wheel arches, and five-spoke wheels. At the rear, the Alpha gets a U-shaped LED lightbar that stretches up the tailgate, while its rear windscreen is noticeably larger than the one on the 0 SUV.

Apart from its 0 SUV-inspired design, Honda has kept most of the Alpha EV’s details close to their chests, but we can assume that it will share the same EV platform as both the 0 Saloon and 0 SUV, which in turn use the same platform as the Afeela EV that Honda co-developed with Sony.

The automaker further noted that the Alpha EV will adopt the same ‘Thin, Light, and Wise’ approach of the other 0 Series models, possibly including the unique “ultra-thin battery pack” and a compact e-axle. Said thin battery pack is designed to allow Honda to reduce the height of the floors in its EVs and boost cabin space without sacrificing ground clearance—something that they might have learned from the Honda e:N1.

And as with other 0 Series EVs, the 0 α should be getting at least 483 km of EV range, plus up to Level 3 autonomous driving capabilities.

As mentioned earlier, Honda is aiming for the production version of the 0 α EV to hit several overseas markets as early as 2027, with a particular focus on right-hand drive markets like Japan and India.