Can Your Car Be Your Friend?

Honda believes you want to talk to your car. The Japanese automaker this week shared new details about the Series 0, its latest for electric vehicles. Two EVs, the 0 Saloon and the 0 SUV, will debut in 2026, with a round and unsettling style that whispers of the future. The electric element is only part of the planned innovation, Honda executives promised on stage at CES in Las Vegas. In a presentation during the exhibition, Honda’s head of electrification Katsushi Inoue emphasized the “new level of intelligent vehicle technology” built into the 0 series. To show the robot in action, Honda then showed a short video showing the driver talking intimately with the Her-like system that lives inside they. electric car, with chatbot realized by Siri-like animation on the run. “Saloon is my partner, always by my side, opening new experiences and expanding my world,” said the theoretical Saloon driver during the promotional video. “Tell me more about yourself,” said the car. “Of course,” replied the driver. The 0 Series will come with a new operating system, Asimo, named after Honda’s lane-breaking robot from the 1980s. This onboard OS is designed to continuously update the experience according to the driver’s preferences. The system “will allow Honda to deliver a personal ownership experience that will increase the joy of driving,” said the automaker in a press release. Indeed, proof that automakers hope to reshape the driver’s intimate relationship with the car is all over Las Vegas. “That’s the theme of CES: You’re talking to a machine. You’re not connecting to a human,” said Jessica Caldwell, director of insights at Edmunds. “Everywhere you look, there are robots.” Many car manufacturers and suppliers are launching experiences and laser design updates focused on adapting to driver preferences through software and interior systems—and finding new ways to make them happy inside the closed (and maybe quiet? ) cabin.A Rendering of the interior Afeela. Courtesy of AFEELA

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