The Zero Concept Would Make A Far Better Next Accord Than What It Appears Honda Will Give Us

Am I a negative person or a realist? Maybe I’m a little bit of both, since with automobiles I’m rarely disappointed at being disappointed. Due to a variety of circumstances – some of them outside of their control – car companies often let us down.

Recently, Honda teased us with an ultra-cool concept EV that they swore would go into production, but now it appears that we’re getting the bait-and-switch with something far less interesting. That’s a shame, since this show car that many of us Autopians really loved could have made a great new Accord for the few sedan lovers still out there.

Say Yes To Pop Ups

Let’s face it; the terms “radical” and “racy” are rarely applied even to conceptual proposals for mid-sized Honda sedans. It’s the fiftieth anniversary of the first Accord built; Honda has never made one that I’d call unattractive, but when a Garfunkel and Oates song describes a guy as a “grey Honda Accord in a parking lot,” you know exactly what they mean.

For the most part, Accords never really violated any rules for what a typical sedan of the day should look like, and their buyers seemed to like it that way.

Actually, that isn’t entirely true. This year is also the fortieth anniversary of the launch of an Accord that really did stand out. The 1986 model had a completely unexpected wedge shape with a nose so low that it needed retractable headlights – on a family sedan!

More dramatic than that was a version that we never got in the States: the shooting brake-style “Aerodeck” sports wagon/hatchback.

Still, that model was the exception and possibly a high-water mark for cool that Accords never achieved again. These cars are nails that do not stick up; inoffensive and ubiquitous. However, there was a ray of hope not long ago that got us thinking Accords might be cool once again.

Zero Sum

Honda unveiled a mid-sized EV sedan at CES last year called the Zero Saloon that both surprised and delighted us. With its sharply raked profile, low nose and elevated “box” like rear, it looked more like something to come from Marcello Gandini’s desk than Honda. It’s even got retractable doors over the headlights, so you know that’s got Eighties Kid me all fired up when Honda swore up and down that the production version would look almost exactly like this.

The rakish front end terminated in a rather controversial tail with a tunnel-like rear window or taillight panel sitting high above an aggressive-looking diffuser.

As Matt Hardigree has pointed out, the design is rather similar to Honda’s Kiwami concept from 2003. Honda obviously seems to like this shape.

The strange shooting brake style with the hint of a trunklid was bold, daring, and also polarizing:

From the back, the Zero is in some ways reminiscent of Honda’s very early car, the 600 hatchback:

Personally, I thought this Zero Saloon looked awesome. Of course, you’re talking to a guy who, if given 200 grand or so to spend on a car, would immediately go out and buy a Lamborghini Espada; I even scribbled up a love letter to it here a while ag0:

Matt Hardigree and Jason Torchinsky also love fast breadvan-looking cars, so I’m sure there are at least a dozen people out there who would buy this thing. Yeah, that’s not a good business plan. The response from some less imaginative car “critics” was to be expected, like this guy reporting for JD Power proved:

My family took one look at my photos of the Honda 0 Series Saloon Prototype and agreed that it looked like a mashup between a Lamborghini, a Cybertruck, and a DeLorean. It was not a compliment.

Well, like it or loathe it, it really doesn’t matter, based on what happened next.

Honda Zero, Accord Won

Last March, Honda made the announcement that they were cancelling these stunning upcoming EV products as production vehicles. That didn’t mean Honda needed to abandon the design since it could have been rather easily translated into a hybrid or gasoline car, but it appears they took the opportunity to do so.

As a consolation prize, Honda claims it has translated the look onto a new concept called the Hybrid Sedan Prototype (below, and what an awful name) that was shown recently, though “concept” might be a misnomer for something shown with left-hand drive, DOT-style side marker lights, and reflectors. This had most of us speculating that this thing might very well be the next Accord sedan, especially based on what Matt quoted from Automotive News recently:

Gary Robinson, American Honda’s head of product planning, described the changes as “pretty major,” declining to elaborate on what’s headed to dealerships in the second half of 2027. “Customers will see a substantially redesigned Accord that will feel like a new model,” Robinson said.

The sleeker, more aerodynamic design draws inspiration from Honda’s scrapped 0 Series electric sedan. “The 0 Series went too far,” one of the people with knowledge of the update said. “The Accord strikes the right balance.”

If that’s the case, I’m disappointed. This “Prototype Sedan” does look “substantially redesigned,” but it was redesigned by committee, not visionaries. It appears less like the 0 Series that it was supposedly “inspired” by and more like a Tesla Model 3 with a variety of other things thrown in for good measure, like BMW door handles and headlights from a Buick that I can’t be bothered to remember the name of. Also, this thing is slated for a mid-2027 launch, by which time those cars that it seems to be copying will be half a decade old or more.

None of the designs the Prototype Sedan resembles are particularly outstanding, and worse than that is none of them are actually “sedans” at all: they’re crossovers.

It’s hardly a terrible-looking car, but if this really is the new Accord, I fear that Honda is quietly abandoning the sedan market. Do we really need another fastback crossover? Does Honda want to use this design to replicate the sales numbers of their last true flop – the Accord Crosstour hatchback – that this “Prototype Sedan” bears a bit of a resemblance to? I think the Zero Saloon could be made a bit more palatable to the average person and give us an Accord as striking as one from ’86. Let’s give it a try.

“For I did not speak of my own accord” – John 12:49

The Zero Saloon isn’t really as radical a design as you might think after a first glance, especially when you see it from the side. With crisp edges and clean looks, it’s a lot like the designs coming out of Hyundai or Kia now, but without the weird, superfluous creases, folds, and gingerbread detailing seen on many of those.

Still, it does have a number of elements that make it hard for the public to accept it, and I’ve attempted to make it more mainstream without losing the essence of the original.

First, I raised the roofline a bit and then added a bumper up front to match the back in the same cool speckled plastic material they use on the rocker panels. I love how that visual texture can hide marks. Note that I added, as an option, a piece to hold the front license plate since that’s something almost all manufacturers seem to have forgotten exists.

I took the grille design off the Zero SUV launched at the same time as the Saloon; it gives the thing some personality and also sort of recalls the earliest generations of Accord.

The other change made was to add more of a fastback to the roofline to eliminate the controversial part of the design: the “breadvan” shape. You can also see that I went ahead and added normal door handles just to piss off those who want to do something different for the sake of doing something different.

From the rear, that roofline change is most noticeable and dramatically changes the Zero from a polarizing design to something I feel is hard to dislike. The bumper line is brought down, the odd rear window now becomes a taillight, and a large glass rear window lets in light. I’ve kept the diffuser rather similar but just added an exhaust outlet below the Buckeye plate and reflectors/back up lights.

Below you can see with the slightly taller roof and reducing the banana-shaped profile it still looks dramatic but far more acceptable to someone trading in a 2022 Accord:

Yeah, I know what you’re saying: “I really dig that breadvan design so why did you kill it?” Hey, I liked it too, and we haven’t had an Accord wagon in a long time; I think it was the one that shared rear doors with the sedan:

That’s why I’d offer an Aerodeck touring (station wagon) version as well.

The tailgate would cut into the roofline not unlike the original Aerodeck or the  Dodge Magnum wagon from years ago, and the giant rear window recalls the much-loved Volvo 1800ES and C30. Taillights are incorporated into the window area as well.

You can see from the animation below that I’ve kept a lot of the feel of the original but gone more practical and accessible with the alterations I’ve done to create the Aerodeck version:

It’s really just a matter of how much Costco two-ply you need to bring home that would determine if you should go fastback sedan or Aerodeck wagon. The hatch below is shown with the cargo cover removed. Honestly, we could just make one with a simple trunk lid as well, but I just hate these latest fastback sedans with stupid, tiny cargo openings.

The Aerodeck would give you just that much extra space:

It’s almost a forgone conclusion that the Aerodeck version of this Accord wouldn’t sell well, but who cares? It would be a sign to the world that Honda isn’t letting the Koreans take the lead in new design directions. Plus, it would get those car journalist weenies that keep begging for station wagons (me) some raw meat to chew on.

Hey, one last version that also won’t be a big seller but I’d want to have: an Accord coupe. Many of you will disagree with me, but there were many times that I thought the Accord coupe looked better than that supposedly sportier Prelude. This might be another one of those times. You’ll note the old-school quarter “vent” trim that also recalls Italian designs from half a century ago:

How long has it been since Honda offered a full line of body styles from coupe to sedan to wagon with any model? If the Accord is the keeper of the non-SUV-crossover flame, I’d say they should go for it.

Accord Zero, Honda Won

Come on, a true Zero-inspired Accord would be a clean but strikingly different car to bring some energy to the market. Let’s summon the ghost of Rocky’s coach to give us the old Honda mantra:

That’s right: simple but complex was the Accord way, and to honor this great nameplate’s half-century mark, we don’t want some damn crossover thing to sully the legacy. We want nothing less than Zero.

Top graphic base image: Honda