The company Sony Honda Mobility, in which co-owners Sony and Honda developed electric “smart” cars, officially announced the decision to suspend the development and planned launch of its first model, Afeela 1, as well as the second model that was still in the preparation phase. This decision was made after detailed discussions between the parent companies, thus halting one of the most anticipated projects in the electric vehicle industry.
No driving with a PlayStation
Since its establishment in September 2022, this company has aimed to combine Sony’s technological expertise with Honda’s automotive development capabilities. The intention was to create products with high added value and accompanying services, and one of the interesting things was the integration of technology that would allow the owner to drive the car with the help of a PlayStation controller.
As a company, Afeela had its official premiere at CES 2020, when they presented their first Vision-S concept. Since then, they have regularly shown concept vehicles at that fair in Las Vegas, and last year they even opened pre-orders for the Afeela 1 model, with the announcement of deliveries for this year. However, strategic changes within the partner companies, primarily Honda, led to the impossibility of continuing the project in the planned form and it has now been completely cancelled.
Change of strategic direction
The main reason for the shutdown of the project lies in Honda’s reassessment of its own car electrification strategy, which was announced in mid-March. Because of these changes, the joint venture is no longer able to use certain technologies and resources that Honda was originally supposed to provide under the initial business plan. The management has now concluded that without these key elements there is no sustainable way to market the Afeela model.
As a direct result of this decision, Sony Honda Mobility announces that it will issue a full refund to all customers who have paid reservation fees for the Afeela 1 model in California. Although plans for the first two models have been cancelled, the company has confirmed that it will continue discussions with Sony and Honda about possible future business directions, leaving room for potential new forms of collaboration in the future – but we wouldn’t get our hopes up too much.