(March 25, 2026) Sony Honda Mobility of America has canceled its software-defined EV venture, dropping the almost-ready-for-market Afeela 1 luxury sedan and a second model, an SUV, that was under development.
The company cited Honda’s decision to slash its EV program in the face of a weakened market, saying that components and support that Honda was to supply would no longer be available. That, the company said, means it “does not have a viable path forward to bring the Models to market as originally planned.”
The announcement came just 5 days after Sony Honda Mobility held grand opening ceremonies for its initial Afeela Studio and Delivery Hub near Honda’s U.S. headquarters in Torrance, Calif.
Company executives, including CEO Shugo Yamaguchi, along with the mayor of Torrance Mayor and a number of Afeela reservation holders, attended the event. Yamaguchi gave no hint of the cancellation announcement that was coming just a few days later.
The ceremony was held less than 2 weeks after Honda said it had canceled plans to move forward with the two Honda O Series EVs – a sedan and an SUV – and the all-electric Acura RSX that is had intended to build in the U.S. Honda said its loss was driven by a slowing EV market in the U.S. and intense competition from Chinese car makers in other markets.
Death came much faster than birth – the Afeela had been gestating for more than six years, since its first public appearance as the Sony Vision-S during the 2020 CES expo in Las Vegas.
Even without Honda’s pullback in the EV market, the premise for the Afeela, which had two trim levels priced at $89,900 and $102,900, was pretty questionable. The joint venture between Sony and Honda developed a car that seemed to put technology and entertainment content ahead of all else. It was commonly called the PlayStation car. Critical EV metrics such as range, power and interior design weren’t very impressive for the price range.
Still, the company said it plans to “continued discussions” with both partners – Sony and Honda – “regarding its future business plans.” It also said it will refund the $200 deposits that an undisclosed number of customers had ponied up to reserve an Afeela 1.
TheGreenCarGuy likes to see new EVs hit the market – consumers need more choices – but we weren’t terribly excited about the Afeela 1 when we got to do a walk-around last year.