More than half a decade since it began exploring the idea of entering the EV market, Sony has axed the two electric cars it was slated to begin shipping soon.
That includes the Afeela sedan we first saw back in 2020, and an unnamed SUV with a similar design that was revealed in January this year. The company was on track to build the Afeela in collaboration with Honda, and even started accepting pre-orders for the US$90,000 four-door last January, and promised to begin shipping it by mid-2026.
In a statement, Sony said the decision was the result of Honda reassessing its battery-electric vehicle strategy. Honda, for its part, ditched plans to build its remarkable-looking 0 series SUV and saloon that were meant to use an all-new electric-vehicle (EV) platform, just a few days ago. These aren't flippant decisions, but rather ones that are amounting to a giant US$15.7 billion write-off as Honda restructures away from all-electric cars.
You can chalk that up to the slashed tax credits that made buying an EV an attractive proposition until late-2025, as well as the US favoring fossil fuels again, and imposing tariffs in every direction and hampering auto production. Meanwhile, the language from Sony's announcement indicates the whole joint venture will likely wind down completely.
While it's a bummer for would-be Sony drivers, I venture they're not going to really miss much. The Afeela brought bland styling for a fastback, middling 300-mile (483 km) range, and fairly commonplace in-cabin features for an entry-level luxury car. At the same time, it seemed to cost way more than it should; it offered less power than a Polestar 3, but was priced higher than that, as well as more elevated options like the Lucid Air and Tesla's powerful Model S Plaid.
It simply didn't add up to a good deal on paper – and now we'll never know if it would have been greater than the sum of its parts from behind the wheel. The SUV that was also axed largely resembled the Afeela, and didn't even get enough time in the limelight to be named anything beyond 'Prototype 2026,' or have its specs revealed.
I can't say if it was ever an available option from a business dealings perspective, but Sony might have had better luck tying up with Toyota instead. It's going all-in on EVs, with a Hilux electric pickup for markets outside the States, the C-HR compact SUV and the three-row Highlander for the US, and an $800-million investment towards upgrading its Kentucky manufacturing plant so it can build yet another electric model. Honda's future now looks a lot less interesting in comparison.
Source: Sony
