Next-gen electric versions of Honda's passenger cars are getting a new logo for the first time in 22 years.
At CES today, Honda announced two new EV concepts, the Saloon and Space-Hub, as well as a new global EV platform called "Honda 0." Only the Salon is going into production—well, kind of, anyway. The Saloon will serve as the basis for Honda's EVs coming in 2026. That's not to say that the radical design cues will come to a driveway near you (although the Cybertruck is real, so here's hoping), but maybe its spacious interior, high-tech steer-by-wire, and other small tidbits.
One design that we know will be coming is a new Honda "H mark" logo that sits square in the center of its grille.
Honda says that its new "H mark" logo will be used exclusively for its next generation EVs. The idea is to visually demonstrate that Honda is taking on a a historic transformation as the world pivots to EVs. The logo is said to represent "two outstretched hands," which Honda says represents its commitment to expand the possibilities of mobility.
Toshihiro Mibe, Global CEO of Honda, says that the automaker plans on doing things a bit differently. Rather than build land yachts, Honda is committing to building lean and efficient battery-powered driving machines. And that alone is a huge deal. Here's what CEO Mibe has to say about the brand's path forward:
The mobility we dream of is not an extension of the trend of "thick, heavy, but smart" EVs. We will create a completely new value from zero based on thin, light and wise as the foundation for our new Honda 0 EV series to further advance the joy and freedom of mobility to the next level.
Now that we've got the marketing talk out of the way, let's get into the meat of this. This is a pretty big branding change for Honda. It has held the current H mark for more than two decades now, and it's had some sort of surround to its older vehicle emblems for the better part of a half-century. This departure certainly is different, and—let's be real—is probably better than Kia's recent rebranding that has people asking "what is the KN car brand?"
Obviously, Honda's going to need more than a logo change to prove it's a serious player in the EV space. It only sells a few electric models globally and will depend on General Motors' Ultium platform for its first modern EV efforts in North America, the upcoming Honda Prologue and Acura ZDX. Things may be changing quickly, however. Honda is now planning a major battery hub in Ohio and may also be doing a huge EV factory in Canada. Perhaps this logo change signals a shift many fans have been waiting for.
Tell us: what do you think of Honda's new design shift?
