{"id":604814,"date":"2026-04-13T20:38:21","date_gmt":"2026-04-13T20:38:21","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/604814\/"},"modified":"2026-04-13T20:38:21","modified_gmt":"2026-04-13T20:38:21","slug":"honda-0-series-alpha-small-electric-suv-still-under-consideration-for-australia","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/604814\/","title":{"rendered":"Honda 0 Series Alpha small electric SUV still under consideration for Australia"},"content":{"rendered":"

Honda Australia still has the 0 Series Alpha<\/a> small electric SUV on its radar \u2013 even after the rest of the previously planned 0 Series models were axed last month.<\/p>\n

The local arm of the Japanese brand says the cancellation of several 0 Series electric vehicles (EVs) amid a global product reshuffle hasn\u2019t significantly impacted its electrification plans, with the remaining SUV still on its wish list.<\/p>\n

It had previously said it was evaluating all 0 Series models for Australian showrooms<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe decision made globally doesn\u2019t mean that 0 Series is completely dead,\u201d Honda Australia director Robert Thorp told CarExpert.<\/p>\n

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\u201cThere\u2019s still opportunities for us to look in that space, which if it all works, we\u2019ll do our best to market.\u201d<\/p>\n

One of those opportunities is the remaining 0 Series Alpha small SUV.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere were two models that were ultimately discontinued, but in terms of development there is still the 0 Series name, and there is still a 0 Series vehicle I think we\u2019ll launch [overseas] next year,\u201d the Honda boss said.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re looking at that [for Australia], but along with anything else that\u2019s available to us.\u201d<\/p>\n

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The two cancelled 0 Series models \u2013 a sedan and a large SUV \u2013 were targeted at the US market, while the remaining 0 Series Alpha small SUV will be positioned as a more affordable EV for Asian and Pacific Rim markets.<\/p>\n

The Alpha is still scheduled to enter production in India in 2027, and has been confirmed for release in both Japan and India.<\/p>\n

The cancellation of the US-focused models comes as Honda deals with financial pressure amid slowing sales and lower profits, as well as the US ending incentives for EV buyers<\/a> in September 2025.<\/p>\n

The easing of emissions regulations<\/a> in the US following the repeal of the 2009 \u2018endangerment finding\u2019 in February 2026 \u2013 which had underpinned vehicle emissions laws for more than a decade \u2013 was also a factor.<\/p>\n

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While not on its Australian division\u2019s public wish list, Honda has also cancelled its planned tie-up with Sony<\/a> to build an electric sedan \u2013 the Afeela 1 \u2013 which had been due for launch later this year, along with a follow-up SUV slated for mid-2028 release.<\/p>\n

The removal of the 0 Series sedan and large SUV won\u2019t dent Honda Australia\u2019s growth ambitions, Mr Thorp said, following its 9.2 per cent sales increase<\/a> in 2025 \u2013 although the brand has not specified a future sales target.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s a broad strategy,\u201d Mr Thorp told CarExpert. \u201cThe Australian market hasn\u2019t fundamentally changed as a result of the 0 Series decision\u2026 our plans always had 0 Series with a niche volume.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cZero Series was always going to be a model that was a brand opportunity for us \u2013 a demonstration of technology \u2013 but they were always going to be niche.<\/p>\n

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\u201cSo yes, it\u2019s a bit upsetting to lose that opportunity, but it doesn\u2019t really change a broad strategy in the short term.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Honda Super-ONE<\/a> will be the first EV in local Honda showrooms when it arrives in the second half of 2026 with styling inspired by the original Honda City hatchback sold here between 1984 and 1993.<\/p>\n

Before it arrives, Honda\u2019s local new model rollout will include the born-again Prelude<\/a> sports coupe \u2013 priced from $65,000 drive-away \u2013 which will soon join the updated CR-V<\/a> mid-size SUV in showrooms.<\/p>\n

The latter includes a lower-priced entry-level CR-V hybrid variant priced at $49,900 drive-away, $7000 less than the cheapest petrol-electric version offered last year.<\/p>\n

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\u201cWe\u2019ve been very open in that. We still believe that the transition to an electrified era is via hybrids first,\u201d said Mr Thorp.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe majority of consumers that transition to hybrid first is what\u2019s going to happen en masse and therefore our strategy, particularly in the short term, is very much geared around that.\u201d<\/p>\n

MORE: Explore the Honda showroom<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Honda Australia still has the 0 Series Alpha small electric SUV on its radar \u2013 even after the…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":604815,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[64,63,99],"class_list":{"0":"post-604814","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-business","8":"tag-au","9":"tag-australia","10":"tag-business"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/604814","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=604814"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/604814\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/604815"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=604814"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=604814"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=604814"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}