The Afeela 1 The sedan due to go into production this year and a closely related SUV due to follow in 2028 have been cancelled, reflecting a cooling EV market in the US and Honda’s decision earlier this month to cancel three electric cars it planned to build in Ohio.
In a statement from Sony and Honda, the companies said the cancellation of the Honda 0 Saloon, 0 SUV and Acura RSX had “fundamentally changed” some of the “underlying assumptions” of Sony Honda Mobility’s business model, including the use of “certain technologies and assets” from Honda.
Although the Afeela 1 sedan and its SUV will now be no more, Sony Honda Mobility – the joint venture officially responsible for designing, engineering and selling Afeela-branded EVs – isn’t dead yet.
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Sony and Honda say they will review the “business direction” of Sony Honda Mobility and plan to announce its “medium to long-term positioning” at the “earliest possible opportunity.”
Given the decline in sales after the Trump administration ended the federal tax credit for electric cars in September 2025, it appears that if Sony Honda Mobility wants to continue, it will have to turn to China or abandon its electric-only philosophy.
Sony started publicly toying with the idea of becoming a car manufacturer when it unveiled the attractive Vision-S EV concept at CES 2020. After a few years of refining the concept, Sony formed a joint venture with Honda to help develop and produce electric cars under the Afeela brand.
Unveiled in near-production form in 2025, the Afeela 1 was set to enter production mid-year at Honda’s East Liberty plant, just eight miles away from the Marysville plant destined to produce the now-cancelled Honda 0-series EVs.
The 4915 mm long sedan had a 360 kW dual-motor all-wheel drive and a 91 kWh lithium-ion battery. It had an estimated range of 300 miles (483 km) based on the EPA testing procedure and supported DC fast charging up to 150 kW.
Prices are said to start at US$89,900 (A$129,000). For reference, the average transaction price in the US for a new car is about US$50,000 (US$72,000), and the base version of the Lucid Air, which has similar power but a range of 673 km, starts at US$70,900 (US$102,000).
At CES 2026, Afeela unveiled a highly polished concept that previewed an SUV that would go into production in 2028.
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