Afeela, the planned upcoming EV brand born out of a joint venture between Honda and Sony, has cancelled the development and launch of its impending models, just a handful of months before its debut car was meant to hit the streets.
Announced in September 2022 as a premium, mobility-led EV brand, the Afeela 1 was due to be the new marque’s first model, underpinned by Honda’s new 0 Series EV platform.
However, earlier this month Honda announced it was pulling the plug on production versions of the 0 Series SUV and 0 Series Saloon, as well as the upcoming Acura RSX EV which was set to be based on the same platform, effectively killing the architecture before it saw the light of day.
Due to this, Afeela overnight announced the demise of the Afeela 1 and its planned SUV, as both vehicles were also set to be produced in North America alongside Honda’s trio.
“As a result of Honda’s reassessment of its automobile electrification strategy announced on March 12, 2026, SHM (Sony Honda Mobility) will not be able to utilize certain technologies and assets that were originally planned to be provided by Honda at the time of SHM’s initial business planning,” Afeela said in a media release.
“In light of this change, SHM has determined that it does not have a viable path forward to bring the Models to market as originally planned.
“As a result of this decision, SHM will issue full refunds of the reservation fees received for current holders of reservations for AFEELA 1 in California in the US.”
Crucially the door has been left open for Afeela to remain as a company, with the brand’s parent company saying it’ll “continue discussions with Sony and Honda regarding its future business plans”.
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The Afeela 1 was first due to go on sale in California – the most EV-friendly market in the US – later this year before heading to Japan.
Available in a sole guise from launch, the Afeela 1 was set to be powered by a dual-motor electric powertrain, producing 360kW from a 91kWh lithium-ion battery.
Prices were to start from US$102,900 (A$153,550) for the Signature – almost US$8000 (A$11,940) more than a Tesla Model S Plaid – though the more affordable Origin will debut later.
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