The PlayStation Car is dead. Sony Honda Mobility officially pulled the plug on both the AFEELA 1 sedan and its upcoming SUV on March 25, 2026, ending one of the most talked about tech-meets-auto experiments in recent memory. The dream of merging Sony’s entertainment empire with Honda’s engineering muscle is now over before a single customer took delivery.
What Happened to the AFEELA?
1 Sony Honda Mobility announced it has decided to discontinue the development and launch of its first model, AFEELA 1, and its second model of AFEELA vehicles that had been under development. 1 The decision came following discussions between its parent companies, Sony Group Corporation and Honda Motor Co., Ltd. The reason was painfully simple. 1 As a result of Honda’s reassessment of its automobile electrification strategy announced on March 12, 2026, SHM will not be able to utilize certain technologies and assets that were originally planned to be provided by Honda.
In plain terms, Honda killed its own EV platform, and that platform was the backbone of AFEELA. No platform, no car.
26 Nine days after Sony Honda Mobility opened its AFEELA Studio and Delivery Hub in Torrance, California, the joint venture announced it was cancelling both cars the showroom was built to sell. Think about that for a moment. A brand new showroom with nothing left to show. 26 Reservation holders will receive full refunds of their $200 deposits.
Sony Honda AFEELA 1 electric car cancelled before production
Honda’s Massive EV Retreat
The AFEELA cancellation did not happen in a vacuum. It is a direct result of Honda’s sweeping pullback from electric vehicles in the United States.
17 Honda announced it was cancelling the development and launch of the Honda 0 SUV, the Honda 0 Saloon, and the Acura RSX. All three were supposed to go into production at Honda’s new EV Hub in Ohio later this year.
15Honda revealed it could face a writedown of up to 2.5 trillion yen ($15.7 billion) as it scales back EV investments, potentially leading to its first annual loss in decades as a public company.
Here is a quick look at the scale of Honda’s retreat:
| Cancelled EV | Planned Market | Status |
|---|---|---|
| Honda 0 SUV | North America | Cancelled |
| Honda 0 Saloon | North America | Cancelled |
| Acura RSX | North America | Cancelled |
| AFEELA 1 Sedan | California (initially) | Cancelled |
| AFEELA SUV | U.S. (by 2028) | Cancelled |
19 Honda said the sudden shift in EV plans was “due to several factors, including the easing of fossil fuel regulations and revisions to EV incentives” by the Trump administration. 11 In light of the recent slowdown in the growth of the EV market in the U.S., Honda will reassess its resource allocations and further strengthen its hybrid models.
Why the AFEELA Was Always a Tough Sell
Even if Honda had stayed the course, the AFEELA faced an uphill battle from day one.
24 What was to become the AFEELA 1 debuted at CES 2020 as the Sony Vision S, a car that made headlines not so much for the way it looked or the way it was supposed to drive. 24 It was notable simply because it was a car from a company best known for TVs that looked amazing and video game consoles that were impossible to find.
Six years of development limbo followed. During that time, the EV market changed drastically.
The specs did not help either. 26The AFEELA 1 was priced from $89,900 for the base Origin trim, with the Signature trim at $102,900. 26It had a 300-mile EPA-estimated range and a 150-kilowatt charge rate.
For comparison, 4competitors like the Lucid Air offered better specifications, such as a 400-mile range at a lower price.
Key takeaway: At nearly $90,000 to start, the AFEELA was competing in a market that was actively moving downmarket. Buyers wanted affordable EVs, not another six-figure luxury sedan with average range numbers.
4 Critique of the AFEELA 1’s design also contributed to its downfall. The vehicle was perceived as bland and uninspired, failing to evoke the luxury feel expected at its price point.
A Bigger Wave of EV Cancellations
Sony and Honda are far from alone. The AFEELA’s death is part of a much wider trend sweeping the auto industry.
8 Ford discontinued the F-150 Lightning pickup, Ram canceled the electric 1500 truck, Tesla is about to discontinue the Model S and Model X, and the Chevrolet BrightDrop van has been retired, just to name a few.
But here is the thing. Not everyone is pulling back.
8 Rivian has the new R2, BMW is bringing the iX3 and i3 stateside, Volvo debuted the new EX60, and Polestar is making a wagon version of the Polestar 4.
The EV market is not dying. It is splitting. Brands with competitive pricing, strong range numbers and clear identity are pushing forward. Those without a clear value story are getting left behind.
21 Sony now joins a growing list of technology companies that have struggled to enter the automotive space. Apple previously abandoned its long-running electric vehicle project after years of development. 21 Chinese smartphone maker Xiaomi recently launched its SU7 sedan, showing that success remains possible, though difficult.
What Comes Next for Sony and Honda?
3 The discontinuation of the first two AFEELA models does not mark the end of the brand or the joint venture between the two Japanese corporations. Sony and Honda plan to continue discussions on the future of SHM and will outline their next steps “at the earliest possible opportunity.”
But few industry watchers are holding their breath. 24It is conceivable that Sony could take its content, car and characters to a new platform, but that seems extremely unlikely.
Meanwhile, Honda has other complications on its plate. 28Nissan and Honda ended merger talks but are considering joint product and powertrain development. US tariffs prompt renewed collaboration interest, though both face significant expected financial impacts.
14In the first two months of 2026, Honda sold just 1,731 Prologues, down from 6,677 in the same period last year, a 74% drop. That is a troubling sign for Honda’s only remaining EV in the U.S. market.
23 Sony and Honda may repurpose components: perception stacks, infotainment software, human-machine interfaces, and cloud services can be licensed, embedded in future Honda products, or integrated with partners.
The AFEELA’s story is a cautionary tale for every tech company eyeing the auto industry. Building a concept car that wows a CES audience is one thing. Getting a real car into real driveways at a price people will actually pay is something else entirely. Sony dreamed big, Honda backed away, and the market moved on without them. For the engineers and designers who poured years into this project, this is a bitter ending. The car world lost a bold experiment this week, even if it was a flawed one. If you have thoughts on the AFEELA cancellation or the future of EVs, drop a comment below and share your take.
