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Afeela 1 is canceled: the Sony and Honda sedan that never reached a single customer. Everything we know
Sony Honda Mobility killed its $89,900 electric sedan on March 25, 2026, two weeks after Honda dropped its own US-built EVs. Here is what the Afeela 1 promised, why it died, how refunds work and what is left of the venture.
The Afeela 1 had almost everything a gadget lover could ask of a car: 40 sensors, an 800 TOPS computer, a dashboard drawn with a video game engine and PlayStation games streamed from the console at home. It had a price, a factory in Ohio, delivery hubs in California and a date. What it never had was a customer. On March 25, 2026, Sony Honda Mobility canceled it, along with a second model, months before the first California deliveries.
The short version: no Afeela 1 will be sold. Reservation holders in California get their $200 fee back in full, and the company said refunds would start promptly, though it set no deadline. On April 21 Sony and Honda scaled the venture down, and Sony will not exhibit at CES in January 2027.
A PlayStation company builds a car
It began on June 16, 2022, when Sony and Honda signed a deal to form Sony Honda Mobility, a 50-50 joint venture to sell electric cars and services, with sales planned for 2025. At CES 2023 the venture unveiled the Afeela brand and a prototype with 45 cameras and sensors and 800 TOPS of computing power. It aimed for Level 3 driving under limited conditions, pre-orders in the first half of 2025 and deliveries in North America from spring 2026.
A year later, at CES 2024, an updated prototype brought a voice agent running on Microsoft’s Azure OpenAI Service and in-car graphics built with Epic Games' Unreal Engine 5.3. The pitch was clear: Honda would bring the car know-how, Sony the screens, sound and games.
$89,900 and a $200 reservation
The real car arrived at CES on Jan. 6, 2025. The Afeela 1 came in two trims: Origin at $89,900 and Signature at $102,900, which added 21-inch wheels, a rear entertainment system and a camera-based center mirror. Both prices included a three-year subscription covering driver assistance, the voice assistant, entertainment content and 5G data. Reservations opened online in California the same day, with a fully refundable $200 fee.
The plan was Signature deliveries in mid-2026, the Origin in 2027 and Japan in 2026. Two days after the launch, president Izumi Kawanishi said reservations were going well and that Japan would follow the US start by about half a year.
What was under the skin
The spec sheet, which the company called preliminary, listed a 91 kWh battery, two 180 kW motors with all-wheel drive, 150 kW fast charging and 11 kW at home, a NACS port for Tesla’s Superchargers and a range target of up to 300 miles. The 40 sensors broke down into 18 cameras, a lidar, nine radars and 12 ultrasonic sensors, feeding an 800 TOPS computer for Level 2+ driver assistance at launch, a step down from the Level 3 talk of 2023. Unreal Engine drew the driver-assist maps on screen, and Sony’s 360 Spatial Sound filled the cabin.
Then came the games. In August 2025 the Afeela 1 joined Gran Turismo 7 as a free car, and in December the company said Afeela would be the first car with PS Remote Play, streaming games from a PS5 or PS4 at home to the car’s screens.
Ohio, then California
Production looked real. In July 2025 Sony Honda Mobility said pre-production trials were under way at Honda’s East Liberty plant in Ohio, its contract manufacturer. On Jan. 2, 2026, it reported trial production on the line there and a new “Quality Gate” inspection site nearby.
At CES 2026 it showed a pre-production Afeela 1 and moved the dates once more: California deliveries in late 2026, Arizona in 2027 and Japan in the first half of 2027. It also showed the Afeela Prototype 2026, with a US production model due as early as 2028. The company said more than 100,000 people had visited its studios and events, and that it had given more than 24,000 in-car demonstrations within the first year. In March it set March 21 for the opening of its studio and delivery hub in Torrance, Calif., a week after its hub in Fremont.
Two weeks in March
The end came fast. On March 12, 2026, Honda canceled three EVs it planned to build in the US, the Honda 0 SUV, the Honda 0 Saloon and the Acura RSX, and warned of losses of up to 2.5 trillion yen. Honda pointed to US tariffs, slower EV sales after regulations were eased and incentives revised, and tougher competition in China. A Sony Honda Mobility spokesperson said the venture was “operating as usual”.
It was not. Four days after the date set for the Torrance opening, Sony Honda Mobility canceled the Afeela 1 and its second model. It said it could no longer use the Honda technology and assets the car relied on and saw “no viable path forward”. Honda said in a filing that the hit to its revised forecast would be immaterial.
How much of it was Honda?
More than the badge suggested, if the reports are right. As early as July 2024 a Japanese business daily wrote that Honda’s 0 Series and the Afeela models would share one EV platform. On the day of the cancellation, a Japanese tech trade publication reported that much of the Afeela 1’s platform, electric axle and battery came from the 0 Series, and that Honda handled most of the core EV hardware.
The same publication said Sony Honda Mobility had looked at partners other than Honda to keep the car alive. Honda told it that the three companies judged that too difficult after talks. Neither company has listed the parts, but Honda’s annual report says the Afeela models were “jointly developed” with it and were to be built by its US unit. Sony’s annual report, filed in June, booked an extra 44.9 billion yen loss on the venture.
Getting the $200 back
The company promised full refunds of reservation fees to current California holders, with refunds starting promptly. It gave no deadline. Since no customer car was ever delivered, the reservation fee is the money at stake.
What is left of Sony Honda Mobility
Not much. In mid-April a Japanese business daily reported that Sony and Honda would keep the venture and look for new business, perhaps reusing the Afeela’s AI assistant and audio system, or putting some of its software into Honda cars, and that the parents might take back part of its roughly 400 employees. On April 21 the three companies made it official in part: products true to the venture’s founding purpose would be hard to bring to market in the short to medium term, so they scaled it down, and staff will in principle move to the parent companies. They will keep talking about working together on software for a time when advanced driver assistance is mainstream.
The website now says the company streamlined its organization in July 2026 and that the site is kept for information only. On Sept. 28 a Sony spokesperson confirmed that Sony and its affiliates will skip CES in January 2027, the show where every Afeela made its debut. For now, the only place to drive an Afeela 1 is Gran Turismo 7.
What to watch next
No date is set. Watch for word that the refunds have gone out, for any software deal between Sony and Honda, and for the reuse of the Afeela’s assistant or audio in other products. We update this story if any of them happens.
Our latest report: Afeela 1 release date: there won't be one, after Sony and Honda canceled the car in March
Afeela 1 FAQ
Is the Afeela 1 canceled?
Yes. Sony Honda Mobility stopped development and launch of the Afeela 1 and its second model on March 25, 2026. No customer car was ever delivered.
Will I get my Afeela reservation fee back?
Sony Honda Mobility said it will give full refunds of the reservation fees paid by current Afeela 1 reservation holders in California. The fee was $200. It said refunds would start promptly but gave no deadline.
Why was the Afeela 1 canceled?
Honda canceled its own US-built EVs on March 12, 2026. Sony Honda Mobility said it could then no longer use Honda technology and assets it had counted on, and saw no viable path to bring the car to market.
Will Sony and Honda build another car together?
Not for now. On April 21, 2026, they said products true to the venture’s goal would be hard to bring to market in the short to medium term, and scaled it down. They will keep talking about working together on software.
When was the Afeela 1 supposed to come out?
Sony Honda Mobility first aimed for North American deliveries from spring 2026. In January 2025 it set mid-2026 for the Signature and 2027 for the Origin, and in January 2026 it moved California deliveries to late 2026, with Arizona in 2027 and Japan in the first half of 2027.
How much would the Afeela 1 have cost?
The Afeela 1 Origin was to start at $89,900 and the Signature at $102,900, each with a 3-year subscription to features such as driver assist and the voice agent.
What were the Afeela 1 specs?
The preliminary specs listed a 91 kWh battery, two 180 kW motors, up to 300 miles of range, 150 kW DC charging, 40 sensors and an 800 TOPS computer for Level 2+ driver assist.
Could you play PlayStation games in the Afeela 1?
That was the plan. Sony Honda Mobility said Afeela would be the first car with PS Remote Play, streaming games from a home PS5 or PS4. The Afeela 1 was also added to Gran Turismo 7 in August 2025.
Is Sony Honda Mobility still in business?
The company still exists but is much smaller. Its website says it streamlined its organization in July 2026 and keeps the site for information only.
Has anyone bought the Afeela design or revived the car?
No. A March 2026 trade report said the venture had looked for partners other than Honda, and Honda said the three companies judged that too hard. No revival or sale of the design has been announced since; an April 2026 report said Sony and Honda may reuse parts of the tech, such as the AI assistant and audio.