- Sony Honda Mobility has abandoned the Afeela EV project
- “It has no viable path forward,” a new statement reveals.
- Pressure mounts on Honda to curb losses
Anyone who has attended the Consumer Electronics Show over the last decade will have experienced the hype around Sony Honda Mobility, but that bubble has now unfortunately burst as the joint venture scrapped its long-awaited Afeela project.
The company was officially announced in 2022 and emerged after Sony unveiled its headline-grabbing Vision S concept vehicle earlier in the decade.
While relatively generic from the outside, the EV promised Sony computing power on the inside, effectively transforming the cabin into a paradise for fans of Triple-A titles.
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In the following years, the project developed and Sony Honda Mobility (SHM) finally announced two electric vehicles in the original Afeela 1 sedan, around $100,000, and a more conventional SUV in the equally expensive Afeela 2. The first was due to be delivered to California customers later this year.
But the joint venture has announced that it will not continue with the project in light of the fact that Honda has recently reduced its electric vehicle activity. Honda declared earlier this week that it would take a writedown of up to 2.5 trillion yen ($15.7 billion) as it cuts its electric vehicle plans, leading the company to its first annual loss in nearly 70 years, according to PakGazette.
In a statement issued by Sony Honda Mobility, the joint venture said that as a result of Honda’s reassessment of its electrification strategy, it will not be able to “utilize certain technologies and assets that Honda originally planned to provide at the time of SHM’s initial business planning.”
However, Sony, Honda and SHM will continue to “discuss and evaluate the future of SHM,” and more about the future direction of the joint venture will be announced soon.
But for those who made early deposits for Afeela 1, SHM has said it will issue full refunds of booking fees received.
Analysis: Honda fell behind
The Sony Honda Mobility project became something of a joke among those who regularly cover the latest tech trends at CES, as it was introduced almost every year with a slightly different exterior tone or subtly updated styling.
By the time it got to the point where the joint venture was ready to accept deposits for its oddly named sedan, the EV technology powering the vehicle was already outdated and 300 miles of range for over $100,000 simply wasn’t competitive.
Some were even harsher. According to PakGazette, Travis Lundy of Quiddity Advisors said shortly before the announcement that the Afeela was “doomed to fail,” calling it a “bizarre vanity project” that is unlikely to become central to Honda’s future.
For all the talk about the PlayStation 5 games inside and the ability to watch high-definition movies, very little was known about the way it drove, the capabilities of its self-driving functionality, and what it was like to live with it.
We know it supported relatively slow charging speeds of 150kW (a disappointing figure considering a Kia costing a fraction of the starting price can charge at 350kW) and that its 0-60mph acceleration time was a relatively slow five seconds.
Add to that the fact that the current Trump administration has eliminated most support for electric vehicles and imposed tariffs on most imports, and the joint venture’s decision to kill the project isn’t particularly surprising.
It likely would have lost money and been left in the dust by the latest battery, autonomous and on-board driving technology coming from China and beyond.
The speed at which electric vehicle technology is improving is relentless, and many traditional automakers are finding it very difficult to keep up. RIP Afeela.
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