It’s the end of the line for Sony’s electric car project, which included the Afeela 1 sedan and a new SUV sharing the same battery electric architecture provided by Honda.
The Sony Honda Mobility (SHM) joint venture officially announced the sad news, which follows Honda’s decision to axe three upcoming EVs for the US market that were months away from the start of production in Ohio—the Acura RSX, Honda 0 Sedan and 0 SUV.
Honda’s canceled EVs shared the 0 Series platform with the Afeela 1 electric sedan and the SUV planned by Sony Honda Mobility.
The Afeela EVs Also Fall Victim to Honda's EV Reversal
“Sony Honda Mobility Inc. today announced that it has decided to discontinue the development and launch of its first model, AFEELA 1, and its second model of AFEELA vehicles that had been under development,” the joint venture company said in a press statement.
SHM said the decision came following discussions between its parent companies, Sony Group Corporation and Honda Motor Company. As you can imagine, the main reason for the radical decision is Honda’s cancelation of its US-bound electric models.
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“As a result of Honda’s reassessment of its automobile electrification strategy announced on March 12, 2026, SHM will not be able to utilize certain technologies and assets that were originally planned to be provided by Honda at the time of SHM’s initial business planning,” SHM said. Because of this, Sony Honda Mobility has realized that it doesn’t have “a viable path forward” to bring the Afeela models to market as originally planned.
The company said it would issue full refunds of the reservation fees received from Afeela 1 customers in California, which was supposed to be the launch market for the luxury electric sedan. SHM also said it would continue discussions with Sony and Honda regarding its future business plans, without elaborating on what those plans may be about—probably shutting down the joint venture.
Afeela 1 Deliveries Were Scheduled to Begin in Late 2026
Sony Honda Mobility was established in September 2022 to develop and sell “high value-added mobility products” and to provide mobility-related service by pooling the technologies, expertise and development capabilities of Sony and Honda.
The tech-laden Afeela 1 electric sedan was supposed to be the first fruit of the collaboration between the two Japanese giants. Out of all the EVs based on Honda’s 0 Series architecture, the Afeela 1 was in the most advanced development stage.
The vehicle had entered the pre-production phase in August 2025 at Honda’s East Liberty factory in Ohio, and was on track to start deliveries by the end of this year in California with the Afeela 1 Signature launch model priced at $102,900. A more affordable Afeela 1 Origin model starting at $89,900 was expected to follow in 2027.
In January, SHM also showcased a crossover SUV prototype at CES 2026 that previewed a second production model for the Afeela brand.
The stillborn Afeela 1 sedan was a technological tour de force designed as a “rolling entertainment hub” leveraging Sony’s gaming and audio tech. It also featured a full-width digital dash integrating 3D maps and immersive media capabilities, an AI-powered personal assistant, and advanced AI-driven Level 3 autonomous driving capabilities powered by 40 sensors (including cameras, radar and LiDAR).
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