The archive · Design & Visual · Product decision · 2024
Honda's 'Thin, Light, Wise' EV concept Saloon wins Red Dot Best of the Best 2024
Seeing EVs grow thick and heavy, Honda rebuilt the electric car as Thin, Light and Wise — a low, one-motion Saloon concept that won Red Dot's top award.
Honda
What it had to solve
By 2024 the EV market was optimizing for range with ever-larger batteries, making cars thick, heavy and bulky; Honda, launching its first global EV series, refused to extend that path and went back to its M/M roots to define a new design language for electric cars.
How it works
By 2024, EVs were winning on range by carrying ever-larger batteries, and Honda saw where that led: bodies and platforms growing thicker and heavier, with digital tech bolted on — in Honda's words, EVs had become 'Thick, Heavy, but Smart'. Rather than extend the trend, Honda went back to its starting point as an automaker and announced a new global EV series, the Honda 0 Series, at CES 2024 in January.
The creative leap was reframing the engineering target as three words: Thin, Light, and Wise. A thin dedicated EV platform would create a low floor and low overall height, unlocking aerodynamic performance and a sleeker body; light meant sporty driving and electricity efficiency that defied EV conventions; wise meant software-defined mobility built on Honda's 75 years of manufacturing. The flagship Saloon concept turned the philosophy into form with a one-motion line rising from front to rear, a low, wide stance, upright side glass, and a simple, intuitive human-machine interface.
The idea won design's own jury: in July 2024, Red Dot gave the Saloon its Best of the Best award in the Design Concept competition, the top tier of the competition, while the Space-Hub concept was also named a Red Dot winner in the same category. Honda's design chief said the award recognized both the design and the new value the company was trying to create, and the series became the stated foundation of Honda's global EV strategy with the first model planned for 2026.
Why it lands
- Diagnosed the EV status quo as 'Thick, Heavy, but Smart' and refused to extend it
- Turned three words — Thin, Light, Wise — into a coherent engineering and design brief
- The thin dedicated platform let the body be low, wide and aerodynamic instead of bulky
- A simple, honest HMI made the concept feel like a new species of car, not a gadget
- Anchored the idea in Honda's own heritage (M/M concept, joy of driving), so the move felt authentic
What it did
Red Dot: Best of the Best 2024 in the Design Concept competition — the award's top tier — with sister concept Space-Hub also named a Red Dot winner; the series became the foundation of Honda's global EV strategy, with the first production model promised for 2026.
What you can take
When the category optimizes one axis (bigger battery, heavier car), change axes: 'Thin, Light, Wise' became a physical ideal that dictated platform, body and UI. Philosophy beats spec as a brief.
Since then
The Saloon took Red Dot Best of the Best in Design Concept in July 2024, with Space-Hub also winning; Honda then built the 0 Series into its global electrification roadmap, confirming the first production model for 2026 under a new 'H mark' starting in North America. The 'Art of Resonance' design concept behind the series became the direction for Honda's future EVs.
Sources
- HONDA 0 SERIES SALOON WINS 'BEST OF THE BEST' IN DESIGN CONCEPT CATEGORY AT RED DOT DESIGN AWARDS
- Honda Announces New Global EV 'Honda 0 Series' at CES 2024 — Saloon and Space-Hub Reveal Honda's Electrification Approach
- Honda 0 Series Concept Model, Saloon, Wins 'Red Dot: Best of the Best 2024' Award in Red Dot Award: Design Concept
spotted an error? The archive wants to know.
Your turn
You just read one. Describe the brief you are staring at, and see who has been given the same problem.
Free account · 3 free questions · no card