Sony Honda Mobility, a joint venture between the two Japanese companies, has officially announced the cancellation of the development of the Afeela 1.
The announcement comes after Honda revealed that it would cancel all plans to produce electric cars in the United States, citing difficulties associated with tariffs imposed by President Donald Trump as the main reason for the decision.
In addition to the sedan, an SUV version of the Afeela presented by the company during CES 2026 has also been canceled. Sony Honda Mobility said the decision to halt work on its two planned vehicles came after discussions between the two parties, Sony and Honda.
The company said that Honda‘s decision to step back from electric vehicle production plans in the U.S. means that Afeela will not be able to use “certain technologies and assets that were originally planned to be provided by Honda.” Therefore, Sony Honda Mobility “determined that it does not have a viable path to bring the models to market as originally planned.”
The Afeela 1 was first revealed at CES 2023 as a prototype, with the official production specification shown at CES 2025 ahead of a planned production start in mid-2026. Despite being backed by two major Japanese technology forces, the specifications of the Afeela 1 disappointed the public.
The dual-motor powertrain, expected to be supplied by Honda, delivered 400 horsepower. Not bad, but also not particularly impressive. Meanwhile, the estimated range was just 482 km (300 miles), a mediocre figure made even more disappointing considering the Afeela 1’s starting price of $89,900 for the base Origin trim or $102,900 for the Signature trim.
The design of the Afeela 1 also failed to impress many, with critics arguing that it looked more like something designed for a video game than for real life. Its advanced driver assistance systems and powerful onboard computer were its main selling points, but it is unclear whether they would have been enough to convince potential buyers to overlook the uninspiring design and average performance.
Even after announcing the cancellation of the project, Sony Honda Mobility said it will “continue discussions with Sony and Honda regarding its future business plans.” They also announced that they will issue full refunds to all customers who placed deposits to secure a pre-order of the Afeela 1.
Photos: Sony Honda Mobility. This content was created with the help of AI and reviewed by the editorial team.
