CES 2025: Toyota’s Emerald City, Zeekr and Honda’s 0 BEVs

LAS VEGAS – CES here has become a showcase for new technology, and has come to overshadow the traditional auto shows for automakers and suppliers.

Toyota’s Emerald City

Most car companies are just concerned with turning out vehicles produced for the greatest amount of profit. But sometimes, a few industry titans have greater vision beyond cars, trucks and commercial vehicles.

Toyota Chairman Akio Toyoda fits into the latter category. The executive briefed the media on the completion of phase one of the Woven City, a planned community built at the foot of Japan’s Mount Fuji that is meant to optimize everything from modern mobility and energy efficiency to serving as an incubator for start-ups.

Announced in 2020 at CES, the project is envisioned as a "living laboratory" designed to test and showcase advanced technologies such as autonomous vehicles, smart home systems, robotics and artificial intelligence in a real-world environment. The project's name, “Woven City, ” pays homage to Toyota’s origins as a loom manufacturing company while symbolizing the seamless integration of the physical and digital threads of life.

The foundation of Woven City is its innovative urban planning concept, developed in collaboration with Danish architect Bjarke Ingels and his firm, Bjarke Ingels Group. The city features three types of streets – dedicated pathways for autonomous vehicles, pedestrians and personal mobility devices – all interconnected in a dynamic grid. This unique layout ensures safety, accessibility and efficiency. The city initially will house approximately 2,000 residents, including Toyota employees, researchers and their families, with plans to expand as technologies are developed and refined. Chairman Toyoda says innovations such as interactive care robots are being piloted that can provide cars and companionship for older and disabled residents.

A key focus of the project is sustainability. Woven City is powered entirely by renewable energy sources, primarily hydrogen fuel cells and solar panels. Green spaces and rooftop gardens also will feature prominently, creating an environment that balances high-tech innovation with ecological harmony.

In addition to being a technological hub, Woven City serves as a testing ground for Toyota’s advancements in autonomous mobility. The city's roadways are designed for Toyota’s e-Palette vehicles, modular autonomous shuttles capable of serving as mobile offices, retail stores or even healthcare units.

The first wave of residents and researchers is expected to move in this year.

Woven City embodies Toyota’s ambition to redefine its identity from an automotive manufacturer to a “mobility company” that contributes to society through innovation. Toyoda calls the whole venture a “labor of love” that will not make the company much profit, if any: “That’s OK, because as global citizens, I believe, Toyota has a responsibility to invest in our collective future, to share what we’ve learned with others and support new ideas that benefit the planet and its people.”

Zeekr009 Grand

Zeekr’s New Entries

Zeekr is the only Chinese EV maker with a presence here, and this is its third consecutive appearance. But the company, a unit of Geely, says it is not making any plans to enter the U.S. market.

Zeekr is displaying three models: the Zeekr 001 FR, Zeekr 009 Grand and Zeekr Mix. The Zeekr 001 FR is Zeekr's electric supercar variant based on its first model, the Zeekr 001 shooting brake. The model currently has a starting price of RMB 769,000 ($105,100) in China, which is about three times the regular Zeekr 001’s RMB 259,000 ($35,350) starting price. The Zeekr 009 Grand is a 4-seater MPV offered at a starting price of RMB 789,000 yuan ($107,774). The Zeekr Mix, a large 5-seater for families, is the cheapest of the three with a starting price of RMB 279,900 ($38,090).

Zeekr has been expanding its distribution beyond China. In 2023, Zeekr entered the European market, opening its first showroom in Stockholm, Sweden, and began accepting orders in Sweden and the Netherlands. Last year, the company made forays into Denmark, Germany, France, Norway, Israel and Australia.

In 2025, the company says, it will launch three new vehicles, including its first plug-in hybrids. Zeekr will launch a shooting brake model based on the Zeekr 007 electric sedan in the second quarter. It will also launch a fullsize flagship SUV in the third quarter and a midsize to large luxury SUV in the fourth quarter, both of which will be available in battery-electric form as well as PHEV.

The company calls its hybrid system “Super Hybrid,” a new powertrain that combines the advantages of BEVs, PHEVs and extended-range electric vehicles. The powertrain can have low energy consumption for highway driving, as well as support long driving ranges under fully electric propulsion.

Honda 0 line-up

Honda 0 Adding Up to Something

Honda is showing two prototypes at CES25 of its developing 0 Saloon EVs. The Honda 0 Saloon prototype looks similar to the concept Honda showed here last year. The 0 SUV prototype, a crossover design, builds on the Space Hub concept seen previously.

Production versions of the vehicles will go on sale in North America, says Honda, in 2026. The company says the 0 SUV will arrive first, hitting showrooms in the first half of 2026. The Saloon concept will follow later in the year. Both are being assembled at Honda’s EV Hub manufacturing complex in Marysville, OH.

Honda is enjoying brisk sales of the Honda Prologue EV right now. That CUV, though, sprung from a joint venture with General Motors and is built on GM’s Ultium platform. Honda ended that JV with the Prologue and the similar Acura ZDX, also built on Ultium at GM’s Spring Hill, TN, manufacturing plant.

Now, Honda is ready to turn out its own homegrown BEVs. The 0 SUV has a raked windshield and low roofline. The black roof gives the SUV a slick 2-tone look. The 0 Saloon has an intentional futuristic appearance – a low-slung, cab-forward shape and proportion. The 0 Saloon’s headlamps have gotten bigger and now sport retracting covers. Both prototypes have cameras instead of side mirrors.

The interiors feature a screen-dominated dashboard: a digital gauge cluster, central touchscreen, a display for the front-seat passenger and two additional screens displaying the side-camera views. There are no knobs or switches, which could make Honda the latest automaker to disappoint customers who want switchgear for audio and HVAC systems.

The 0 lineup will have steer-by-wire and possibly brake-by-wire as well. The SUV and Saloon will come in both AWD and RWD. Range is expected to be around 300 miles (483 km) for both. The 0-series will be capable of Level 3 autonomous driving. The Level 3 system employs artificial intelligence, with Honda partnering with autonomous driving tech company Helm.ai. The vehicles will sport Honda’s latest operating system, developed in-house, called ASIMO OS, to integrate the ADAS systems with the cars’ infotainment.

Separately, Sony Honda Mobility says it will bypass Honda dealers to sell its first vehicle from its new automotive brand Afeela. The joint venture from Sony and Honda announced its plan here. Sony Honda Mobility is the latest brand to avoid the conventional dealer model. Scout Motors, part of the Volkswagen Group, is planning to try the direct-selling model. Tesla pioneered the model. Rivian and Lucid Motors also don't use dealers.