Honda | The Verge

Sony and Honda ain’t feelin’ the Afeela anymore

2026-03-25T13:43:05-04:00

Sony and Honda have lost that lovin' Afeela.

The joint venture announced today that it would be discontinuing the $90,000 Afeela 1 electric sedan, as well as the unnamed Afeela SUV concept, as it adjusts to slower EV demand and policy pullbacks. In a statement, Sony Honda Mobility (SHM) determined there was not a "viable path forward" after Honda recalibrated its EV strategy following steep losses.

Earlier this month, Honda said it would take a writedown of as much as 2.5 trillion yen ($15.7 billion) on its EV investments, representing the company's first annual loss in over 70 years as a public entity. The automaker also put the kibosh o …

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Two more EVs for the trash heap: Volvo EX30 and Honda Prologue

2026-03-17T11:47:37-04:00

The steady stream of news about automakers cancelling or discontinuing electric vehicles continues apace. This week it's Volvo's small, quirky EX30 and Honda's solo electric offering in the US, the Prologue. Both are the latest victims of stagnating EV sales in the US thanks to the Trump administration's decision to eliminate tax incentives.

First, the EX30. The small SUV was the most affordable EV in Volvo's lineup, even if it took some time before it arrived on our shores. Volvo spokesperson Sophia Durr says that the automaker's US division has decided to discontinue the EX30 and EX30 Cross Country after the 2026 model year. It will, how …

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Honda cancels Zero Series EVs, citing ‘extremely challenging’ situation

2026-03-12T10:58:33-04:00

Farewell, Honda Zero. We never knew thee.

Honda is cancelling its Zero Series SUV and Saloon, as well as the Acura RSX EVs, citing an "extremely challenging earnings situation." The Japanese automaker, which unsuccessfully tried to merge with Nissan last year, said it expected to make a net loss of ¥360 billion (~$2.5 billion) to ¥630 billion (~$4.4 billion) in the full year ending this month - which, according to The Financial Times, would be Honda's first ever annual recorded loss since becoming a public company 50 years ago.

Honda, which is grappling with President Trump's tariffs, had been one of the most aggressive automakers in pur …

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Honda relaunching Acura RDX as a next-gen two-motor hybrid

2026-01-14T09:28:01-05:00

The Acura RDX will be the automaker’s first two-motor hybrid. | Image: Honda

Honda announced that the next-generation Acura RDX will be the brand's first SUV to feature a two-motor hybrid system. While this next-gen platform is under development, Honda said it would suspend production of the current RDX, which launched in 2018 and has sold nearly 740,000 units in the US.

Honda confirmed that current RDX production will end this year, followed by a pause before the next-generation model arrives. Exactly when that will be, Honda wouldn't say. But in the meantime, Honda said that production of the new all-electric Acura RSX remains on track for the second half of this year, followed by the Honda Zero SUV.

Honda confi …

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Sony and Honda’s Afeela EV will start customer deliveries in late 2026

2026-01-05T22:21:25-05:00

Sony and Honda's joint venture, Sony Honda Mobility (SHM), said it will start customer deliveries of the $90,000 Afeela 1 electric vehicle in in the US in late 2026. The company also showed off an SUV concept that it said would inform a production model in the US for as early as 2028.

The new Afeela Prototype 2026 looked remarkably similar to the Afeela 1 pre-production unit, with short overhangs, a long wheelbase, and an overall larger footprint. No other details about the vehicle were released. SHM CEO Yasuhide Mizuno called it an "early-stage concept."

The announcement of customer deliveries, though, was arguably more notable. The Sony- …

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Why Honda is suddenly launching reusable rockets

2025-12-02T16:08:54-05:00

In June of this year, Honda launched and landed a prototype, 20-foot-long reusable rocket at its research facility in Hokkaido, Japan's northernmost island.

Though the company is known mainly as an innovative and iterative carmaker, it is also a transportation conglomerate, having developed and produced motorcycles, scooters, e-bikes, ATVs, boat motors, and even jets. Its skunkworks R&D center built the world's first in-car navigation system, the first mass-produced automatic braking system, and the first production Level-3 autonomous driving system. Still, aiming toward the stars and potentially launching a competitor to Elon Musk's Space …

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Honda cancels Acura ZDX in latest casualty of EV pullback

2025-09-25T11:01:13-04:00

Have you heard? EV sales are expected to dip significantly in the coming weeks as the federal tax credit expires, and automakers are responding by canceling models, delaying factory plans, and boosting hybrids as a short-term solution. The latest model to get the axe is the Acura ZDX, an electric crossover that had both Honda and GM DNA.

The ZDX had only just made its debut as a 2024 model with 325 miles of EPA rated range and a starting price of $60,000. Like the Honda Prologue, the ZDX was built by General Motors at the automaker's Spring Hill Assembly plant in Tennessee thanks to a partnership between the two companies. It was supposed …

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Acura’s RSX prototype is a taste of what’s to come with Honda Zero

2025-08-14T12:30:01-04:00

Acura is bringing back the RSX sedan as a premium, dramatic-looking, all-wheel drive electric crossover that's also the first model engineered in-house on Honda's new global EV Platform. This is the same platform that will eventually underpin the automaker's Zero series, which is expected to go into production next year along with the RSX. So suffice it to say, the resurrected RSX is a big deal for Acura and its parent company.

The RSX Prototype is making its global debut this week at two Monterey Car Week events: The Quail Motorsports Gathering and Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance. Acura says it will assemble the RSX at Honda's EV Hub in …

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The great EV pullback has begun

2025-07-11T13:11:16-04:00

Electric vehicles are at a crossroads. Sales are still going up, but many automakers are canceling or delaying new models, worried by recent policy moves that will make EVs more expensive to own.

Every day seems to bring fresh news of a delayed EV or a timeline that's been pushed back, as automakers struggle to adapt to this newly volatile environment. President Donald Trump's tariffs aren't helping much, nor is the recent passage of his $3.4 trillion "big, beautiful" budget bill, which takes a sledgehammer to most EV incentive programs. And Trump's decision to reverse tougher emissions rules passed under former President Joe Biden is just …

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Honda successfully launched and landed its own reusable rocket

2025-06-18T10:48:26-04:00

Honda’s reusable rocket takes off and lands using four retractable legs. | Image: Honda

Honda successfully conducted a "launch and landing test of an experimental reusable rocket" developed by its research and development subsidiary, the company announced this week. It was the first time Honda landed a rocket after it reached an altitude of 890 feet, according to a press release.

The launch took place at a Honda test facility in Taiki Town, Japan, which the company says "has been developing itself as a 'space town' through the joint efforts of public and private sectors," including the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA). The nearly 21-foot tall rocket, weighing over 2,800 pounds at launch, flew for 56.6 seconds before " …

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