Well, this wasn’t much of a surprise after Honda announced it was scaling back its plans on electric vehicles. Sony Honda Mobility has announced it is discontinuing development of the AFEELA 1 and its planned second model. The joint venture between Sony and Honda, which was established in September 2022 with the goal of combining Sony’s tech expertise with Honda’s automotive capabilities, will not be bringing either vehicle to market.
The reason comes down to Honda’s reassessment of its electrification strategy, which was announced on March 12. That shift means certain technologies and assets Honda was originally planned to provide are no longer available to Sony Honda Mobility. Without those resources, the company says it doesn’t have a viable path forward to launch the vehicles as originally planned. Reservation holders for the AFEELA 1 in California will receive full refunds.
If you followed the AFEELA from its flashy CES debut, this is a disappointing but not entirely surprising outcome. The vehicle generated a lot of buzz for its entertainment-focused cabin and PlayStation integration, but the EV market has been brutal for newcomers, and a joint venture that relies on one partner’s technology falling into place was always going to be fragile. At this point, Gran Turismo 7 will be the only place the general public will ever be able to experience the AFEELA 1. Sony Honda Mobility says it will continue discussions with both parent companies regarding future business plans, but it’s hard to imagine what that looks like without the two vehicles that were its entire reason for existing.
