Hyped new electric cars brutally axed: 2026 Afeela vehicles from Honda and Sony bite the dust as Japanese brand pulls back on EVs to rival the Tesla Model Y and Model 3

2026 Afeela 1 (left) and Afeela prototype (right).

Even more Honda electric vehicles (EVs) have been given the axe before they made it to production.

Sony Honda Mobility, which is a joint venture between Honda and Sony, has indefinitely delayed the launch of the Afeela 1 electric sedan, as well as its follow-up electric SUV model.

The company claims that this is due to Honda’s “reassessment of its automobile electrification strategy”, which it announced earlier this month.

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“SHM [Sony Honda Mobility] will not be able to utilise certain technologies and assets that were originally planned to be provided by Honda at the time of SHM’s initial business planning,” explained the company in a statement.

As a result it determined there is no “viable path forward” to bring the Afeela 1 and its SUV counterpart to market.

The company is issuing full refunds to those who placed reservations for the Afeela 1 in California, USA.

Sony Honda Mobility first revealed a concept version of the Afeela 1 at the Consumer Electronic Show (CES) in 2023 before revealing it in production guise at CES in 2025.

It had been planned for production to commence at Honda’s Ohio production facility by mid-2026. The electric SUV counterpart was set to follow in 2028.

2026 Afeela 1

In the US, the Afeela 1 had a starting price of US$89,900 (~A$129,500), extending out to US$102,900 (~A$148,300), making it a premium rival to the likes of the BMW i5 and Mercedes-Benz EQE.

Power was to come from a dual-motor all-wheel drive set-up with a total system output of 180kW. The electric motors would be fed by a 91kWh battery pack, allowing for a driving range of around 480km, according to an undisclosed testing standard.

A major focus of this EV was its advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS) which used 40 sensors, including LiDAR, AI and visualisations for the driver and passenger.

Technology was also another major focus of the Afeela 1. It featured a so-called ‘Media’ bar on the front bumper, an interior panoramic screen display set-up, as well as a yoke-style steering wheel and power-operated doors.