Sony And Honda Kill Its Afeela Evs

Sony Honda Mobility, nan automotive task from 2 of Japan’s astir storied companies, has swung nan axe connected its EV project. In a statement, it said it would “discontinue nan improvement and launch” of nan Afeela 1 and 2, its long-in-development electrical cars. The institution added it would reappraisal its “business direction,” and denote its early plans “at nan earliest imaginable opportunity.” Which, if we’re honest, astir apt intends nan full point is going to beryllium unopen down, aliases scaled backmost truthful overmuch it’s nary longer worthy talking about.

2026 has not been a awesome twelvemonth for Honda. On March 12, it posted an up-to $15.7 cardinal loss arsenic it wrote disconnected a large chunk of its finance successful EVs. The US’ pivot toward fossil fuels, removal of national EV taxation credits and nan imposition of tariffs has deed its business beautiful hard. Not to mention nan high-profile embarrassment of its existent F1 motor task pinch Aston Martin, which promised truthful overmuch and has delivered little than nothing.

Sony’s travel into nan automotive world began six years agone pinch nan announcement of nan Vision-S, nan car which would yet beryllium re-christened Afeela. But while nan merchandise looked bully connected waste and acquisition show stands, it stood still while nan remainder of nan car world sprinted ahead. In January, Tim Stevens said Afeela 1 looked a small dated, and a small lacking successful emotion, and a batch much costly than comparable models from rivals. Not to mention that Afeela 1 is simply a sedan, being sold to a world that’s progressively fallen retired of emotion pinch nan type successful favour of higher-riding SUVs. In Sony's statement, however, the SUV-aping Afeela 2 didn't moreover get a mention by name, which hints that it was arsenic overmuch an afterthought for nan institution arsenic we mightiness person guessed erstwhile it was announced.