Japanese automaker Honda took to the stage at CES in Las Vegas Wednesday to unveil two electric vehicle concepts that showcase its battery-powered future. The 0 Saloon and 0 SUV concepts boast slick styling, a new operating system named after Honda’s dead robot and, most importantly, pop-up headlights.
That’s right, the trend for hidden headlights has made a comeback on the Honda 0 Saloon in spectacular style, and I for one will be sorely disappointed if this detail doesn’t make it onto the production car.
The hidden headlights made their debut on the new 0 Saloon concept, which is a prototype EV that teases a future model from the Japanese brand. It’s got sharp, angular styling that echoes the Lamborghini Murcielago, in a good way, and space for five people to ride around in sleek, modern comfort. It also has some pretty awesome headlights.
You might think that the cool headlight playbook has been done to death, but Honda found a way to revive interest in lighting once again. In case you missed them in the launch yesterday, the lights on the front of the new Honda take three forms.
As you can see in CarScoops’ video above, the first light is as an illuminated version of the updated Honda logo plastered on the nose, and the second is a sleek strip light running up either side of the hood to form the daytime running lights.
When you want to truly illuminate the path ahead and turn on the full-beams, that’s when things get interesting. That’s because Honda has revived the trend for hidden headlamps for the 0 Saloon’s third lighting array.
For the lights, doors on each side of the hood slide upwards and stows inside the car to reveal four LEDs that make up the full-beams. It’s a pretty simple affair, really, but is one that makes the concept worth talking about.
When closed and hidden away, it leaves the front end of the 0 Saloon looking clean, while open it’s functional but still looks right. The design of the front-end lighting is a really strong choice from Honda, and helps cement the similarities between the 0 Saloon and retro Lamborghinis with their pop-up headlamps even further.
As it stands, the 0 Saloon that we’ve been shown this week is just a prototype for now, but Honda does have plans to bring 0 Series cars into production in 2026 when they will be produced at a factory here in the U.S.
When that happens, there’s no confirmation from Honda whether the hidden headlamps will make the cut and, rather worryingly, the lighting is one of the few elements of the car that was changed from concept to prototype. This new design does at least feel a little more feasible compared with the boxy design of the concept, and its sliding implementation is definitely more refined.
So, who will join me in crossing their fingers and toes for the Honda hidden headlights to make it into the real world? Maybe it’ll kick off another golden age of hidden headlamp design that will give us all something to look forward to while the world burns around us.
If you want to reminisce about the last wave of hidden headlamp cars, head here to check out some of our favorites.
