Sony Honda Mobility's software-first EV bet dies as Honda cancels Afeela 1

Sony Honda Mobility was Sony and Honda's 2022 answer to a question nobody had proven: could consumers choose an electric car for its software? SHM bet yes — that dash-wide screens, an AI personal agent, PlayStation-grade entertainment and a three-year feature subscription would matter more than horsepower, and that Honda's engineering and Ohio plant would make the vision cheaply and reliably real.

For four years the bet looked credible. The Afeela 1 progressed from CES concepts to a production car priced from $89,900, with California buyers reserving it for a $200 deposit; by CES 2026 SHM said trial production had begun at Honda's East Liberty Auto Plant and deliveries were due in late 2026, with an SUV concept to follow in 2028.

Then the floor fell out. On March 12, 2026 Honda announced a reassessment of its EV strategy and cancelled the 0 Series US models that shared the platform and technology Afeela depended on. Two weeks later SHM said it had no viable path to market, discontinued both models, refunded all reservation deposits and, in April, agreed with its parents to scale down operations and review the joint venture's structure — ending the venture before its first car was delivered.