Sony Honda Mobility Inc's Afeela dream is dead

Just under four years since tech giant Sony and Japanese carmaker Honda signed a joint venture agreement for the production of EVs and provisions of mobility services, it seems that dream is now dead.

The development and launch of Sony Honda Mobility's (SHM) first model, Afeela 1, as well as the planned second model, has now been officially discontinued. This comes after Honda's first loss-making year in the 70 years the company has been listed, leading it to announce a reassessment of its automobile electrification strategy.

And what this meant for SHM is that at the time of its initial business planning, it would not be able to utilise certain technologies and assets that were originally planned to be provided by the Japanese carmaker. As a result, SHM determined that it does not have a viable path forward to bring the models to market as originally planned.

SHM has said that in light of this decision, it will issue full refunds of the reservation fees received for current holders of reservations for the Afeela 1 in California. The brand will also continue discussions with parent companies Sony and Honda regarding its future business plans, so all is not lost. Not yet, at least.