Sony and Honda discontinue development of Afeela electric car
Honda's restructuring of its electric vehicle division also affects the e-car joint venture with Sony: The development of the Afeela is being discontinued.
Development discontinued: Afeela 1 (left) and Prototype 2026 from Sony Honda Mobility
(Image: Sony Honda Mobility)
No Sony car: Japanese electronics giant Sony and automotive group Honda have announced the end of their joint development of electric cars. It is unclear what will happen to the joint venture Sony Honda Mobility (SHM).
The reason given is “ Honda’s reassessment of its automobile electrification strategy announced on March 12, 2026”, the two corporations announced. Honda has discontinued the development of three electric models and announced a complete restructuring of its electric vehicle division.
As a result, “the underlying assumptions of SHM's business operations such as the utilization of certain technologies and assets planned to be provided by Honda were fundamentally altered”. Therefore, SHM is discontinuing the development of its two electric cars.
Afeela 1 was supposed to launch at the end of 2026
In 2023, Sony and Honda announced the joint development of an electric car at CES. In 2025, the joint venture SHM showed the prototype of the sedan with a coupé rear. At this year's CES, the Japanese presented a pre-production model of the Afeela 1, which was supposed to launch at the end of this year. They also announced a crossover SUV (project name Prototype 2026) for 2028.
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According to the announcement, both vehicles will not be launched. What will happen to SHM is unclear. For now, the joint venture will not be dissolved. Sony, Honda, and SHM will “continue to discuss and evaluate the future of SHM, considering the original purpose of the joint venture’s establishment as well as the current market conditions in the electric vehicle sector,” the companies explain. A decision on the future of SHM is expected soon.
(wpl)