The Afeela 1 sedan resulting from start production this yr, and a closely related SUV that was planned to follow in 2028, have been cancelled, victims of a cooling EV market within the US and Honda’s decision earlier this month to cancel three EVs it planned to construct in Ohio.
In a press release released by Sony and Honda, the businesses said the cancellation of the Honda 0 Saloon, 0 SUV, and Acura RSX had “fundamentally altered” a number of the “underlying assumptions” of Sony Honda Mobility’s business model, including using “certain technologies and assets” from Honda.
Although the Afeela 1 sedan and the accompanying SUV at the moment are not going to occur, Sony Honda Mobility — the three way partnership firm officially liable for designing, engineering and selling Afeela-branded EVs — isn’t dead, yet.
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Sony and Honda say they may review Sony Honda Mobility’s “business direction”, and plan to announce its “mid- to long-term positioning” on the “earliest possible opportunity”.
Given the drop off in sales after the Trump administration ended the US$7500 (A$10,800) federal tax credit for EVs in September 2025, it seems if Sony Honda Mobility is to proceed it should have to pivot towards China, or abandon its EV-only philosophy.
Sony began publicly toying with the concept of becoming an automaker when it revealed the attractive Vision-S EV concept at CES 2020. After a number of years refining the concept, Sony formed a three way partnership with Honda to assist engineer and produce EVs under the Afeela brand.
Revealed in 2025 in near-production form, the Afeela 1 was set to enter production in the course of this yr at Honda’s East Liberty plant that’s just 13km away from the Marysville factory earmarked to supply the now-cancelled Honda 0 Series EVs.
The 4915mm-long sedan had a 360kW dual-motor all-wheel drive setup, and a 91kWh lithium-ion battery. It had an estimated range of 483km based on the EPA testing procedure, and supported DC fast charging as much as 150kW.
Pricing was to start at US$89,900 (A$129,000). For reference, the typical transaction price within the US for a brand new automotive is around US$50,000 (A$72,000), and the bottom Lucid Air, which has similar power but 673km of range, starts at US$70,900 (A$102,000).
At CES 2026 Afeela revealed a really polished concept that previewed an SUV, which was planned to enter production in 2028.
This Article First Appeared At www.carexpert.com.au
