Honda is killing its EVs

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Honda is killing its EVs

sylvainkalache

Comments (440)

rkagerer
Honda is setting itself up for failure on the second disruption sweeping the automotive industry: the software-defined vehicle (SDV), which has core capabilities that can be upgraded and improved over time.No thank you. Not sure why the author frames this as a good thing. They've been bamboozled by the automakers and have got it backwards - you're buying a vehicle that already has the capabilities, but are disabled, then paying rent (or a fee) to turn them on. I'm much more likely to buy from a manufacturer that doesn't play these games.
ggm-at-algebras
In Shenzhen for a tech meeting. The streetscape is quieter, despite high traffic levels and I hear not only MORE birdsong, but the birds do more complex songlines.The air is clean. For sure some of this is because it's a coastal city and has fresh sea breezes, but I've been in other Chinese coastal cities in times past and the air was significantly less clean.There are social upsides for an almost-all-EV city.This is an 18m person city. It's not exclusively wealthy people, its just a city with a very high local EV population and it shows.
TrackerFF
I live in a top EV market, Norway.ICE cars have been planned out for years now, and something like 96% of all new cars in Norway were EV last year.Basically, if you plan on keeping selling ICE cars, you're removing yourself from the market here. There's no future for new personal ICE cars here.I figure most other countries will be the same.
billfor
"Here, Honda is setting itself up for failure on the second disruption sweeping the automotive industry: the software-defined vehicle (SDV), which has core capabilities that can be upgraded and improved over time."I'll pay triple for a non software defined vehicle that doesn't track me and can't be touched by the dealer once I purchase it. My one SDV (Tesla) is still on FSD from 2023 because the newer versions are terrible judging from the comments on the Tesla forums.
mullingitover
I'm convinced that the Japanese government is terrified of EVs because all the small and medium-sized businesses which support the Japanese auto industry will be absolutely gutted when vehicles contain drastically fewer parts.That, and Japan is deeply screwed if they go all-in on EVs and then China decides they shouldn't be allowed access to any more rare earths.
Denatonium
Calling the Prologue "Honda's EV" feels like a huge stretch. The Prologue was a rebadged GM vehicle that served strictly as a compliance car for meeting CAFE standards. Now that the CAFE standards have been rendered toothless, there's no longer a need for that deal.
jleyank
My cars last 8+ years. My tablets last 3+ years. I’ll pass on a software defined car unless they swap out the whole logic and display unit before the warranty runs out. Otherwise I’ve got dead hardware in the cabin. They did this to the Leaf.Or assume you have to provide a current model iPad or android tablet to run their software. That would keep the hardware functional if they kept the software working.And I don’t trust the vendors to try to drive resale by eol’ing the logic/software. They’ll drive everybody to leases to avoid this and battery life concerns.
dzonga
I think Japanese automakers by sticking to ICE vehicles have admitted defeat - that they no longer have the engineering prowess to compete.they dominated in the era of small engines.with EVs - the Chinese have run away with the stick & sadly no one is catching up.I wish the Japanese made good EVs - Germans are the only ones besides the Chinese making decent EVs
bryanlarsen
OTOH, it really looks like Toyota is Goldilocks. Most companies invested too much too early and had to write off a substantial amount, but Toyota is rolling into 2027 with a small but nice selection of EV's.Over 25% of vehicles sold world-wide were electric in 2025, and that percentage is steadily increasing. So VW & Ford were "too hot", Honda is looking like "too cold" and Toyota might be the "just right" of the three bears.
gcanyon
EVs are going to be an extinction-level event for carmakers.As the buggy-makers failed to transition to making cars, and thus ceased to be, so too will automakers fail to transition to EVs, and thus end their viability as vehicle manufacturers.
GianFabien
Smart doorbells and thermostats that upgraded in the night often became a nuisance or an expensive brick. But a faulty software upgrade on a car can kill you and others.Car company execs need to take a chill pill followed by a reality serum. Monetizing subscription based basic features and delivering in-car advertising is the absolutely worst way to go.As consumers we need to stop buying into the bells, whistles and trinkets and demand essential and safe transportation.
mandliya
Interesting they are actually launching EVs in India: https://bwautoworld.com/article/honda-starts-pan-india-test-...
small_model
All the legacy automakers that haven't fully moved to EV's PROFITABLY will go defacto bankrupt within a few years, there will be some mergers to stay alive but it's game over. Tesla and China companies will own auto, with Tesla capturing most the profit, similar to Apple vs Android phones. Autonomy will further accelerate this.
dmix
It's okay when legacy companies die. That can be a good thing. Having the same few companies around for 100yrs isn't always a benefit for the world.
kleiba
> Consumers, mostly those who buy EVs from the likes of Tesla, Rivian, and BYD, have grown accustomed to the frequent updates, slick infotainment software, and advanced driver-assistance systems.Guess which three items out of that list I do not want.
nonford150
I almost pulled the trigger on a Prologue; so glad I had second thoughts. Even though it was essentially a GM product, I've only ever owned Hondas, so I thought "Well, at least I can get service at my Honda dealer".Charging in the US (other than at home) is still the biggest issue for me. I do lots of traveling, and waiting 30-45 minutes to charge even at a Level 3 charger is a PITA. If I had a J std charger, then it's even longer. This makes my monthly 8 hour trips one-way another 2 hours - this sucks. Sorry - I'll keep my 2005 Honda Element with 445K miles. Another engine would be cheaper than less than a year of car payments. And it's pretty much indestructible.
troyvit
> By shelving EVs, Honda will fall farther behind in two of the biggest shifts sweeping the automotive industry: electric drivetrains [...]Ugh that sucks> [...] and software-defined vehicles.Take my money! I'll suffer with gas for that.
jedberg
This is so unfortunate. I was never a van guy, but my wife insisted we get a van, so I got the Honda. And honestly? I kinda love it. It drives like a car but holds eight people (or four people and a whole bunch of luggage).The way we use the van, 90% of our drives are under 20 miles round trip. The rest are longer road trips. I've been waiting eight years for Honda to make an electric or even a plug-in hybrid where the gas motor just charge the battery.It would be perfect for my family. I guess that's not happening now.
bpiroman
What is wrong with the japanese automotive industry shifting to 100% EV!? Seems like some kind of seppuku...
jmspring
I have a 2016 Tacoma I bought in 2015. It has ~114k miles, so ~11k miles/year. Gas is 16-18gal/mi. It's paid off. There is no math, outside of major repairs (it's maintained regularly) where any Hybrid or EV makes sense for the next 10+ years. Maintenance ~ 250 a year; Tires ~12-1300 every 3 years (more due to age than wear). So - 11k/year w/ fuel at $5/gal and 16mi/gal - $3.4k in fuel, 600/year in maintenance and tires. So $4k/year in rough cost (excluding insurance). Still high, but I've lived in rural areas the last 10 years.A new vehicle makes no sense. Unless I went a budget used Prius (with a good hybrid battery system). No plan to make changes.
alliao
To be honest, I have every faith in Honda. It took them a long time to arrive at hybrid, but they were never about first to market, but they were always adamant about controlling the entire technology stack.. made their own transmission and everything. And engineering doesn't faze them, Honda just nonchalantly displayed a reusable rocket like it was too easy... EV is a little bit like AI nowadays, not much moat and possibly not challenging enough for Honda R&D so why not. I'll always be on the look out for Honda's next take on EV.
Sophistifunk
This isn't reporting, it's propaganda.
thelastgallon
They timed it perfectly when oil is $100+/barrel. Sane countries are thinking about their reliance on oil.
throw7
I'm not anti-EV...I don't have charging capability at my apartment or work. On occasion, I do 300 mile trips (adirondacks/nyc). Skeptical of winter performance. I have no interest in "frequent updates, slick infotainment software, and advanced driver-assistance systems". Frankly, no spare tire is a no starter for me also.
rob74
> When developed as an original product, EVs offer automakers a chance to rethink the automobile, and in the process, make it cheaper.That does not bode well for German car makers either I'm afraid. Take BMW for instance: they started off with two "pure" EV models, the i3 (a compact car) and the i8 (a sports car). Both of them promising, but neither a particular bestseller. So they switched to offering electric drive as an alternative to IC engines in several (most?) "regular" models. But I agree with TechCrunch that this is more of a cop-out than a winning strategy...> Consumers, mostly those who buy EVs from the likes of Tesla, Rivian, and BYD, have grown accustomed to the frequent updates, slick infotainment software, and advanced driver-assistance systems. Honda has yet to make significant progress in any of those domains.Here's an idea: what about making an EV free from this enshittification? One where you can decide yourself when to install an update, like in the "olden days" a few years ago? One that doesn't pretend to have an "autopilot" which isn't really one? I think there would be a market for such an EV.
odiroot
I just hope Honda sticks to making awesome motorcycles.
haxtormoogle
Remember when cars were just a simple, no computers, maybe a transistor or two. why do cars have to cost the same price as a new house? give me a simple 1960's vw bug please.
GardenLetter27
Damn, the Honda E looked great.
proee
Could it be that the EVs they were planning were just out of touch with what the market wants? Their zero vehicles look butt-ugly in my opinion. They look like concept cars that are great for show, but no serious buyer would consider them for a daily driver.
getpokedagain
The software designed car and continued price growth of automobiles is going to push them out of price range for consumers. Maybe Honda just wants to go out of a dying industry on good terms.
MarkusWandel
My Honda family car has a CVT and electric parking brakes. "Driver's Car" mattered more when the low-price option was a stickshift and cars weren't so heavy.
speedgoose
I expected better from the company that entered the EV market with an impressive aquarium simulator in its Honda E.Time will tell, but I think it’s a long term mistake.
epolanski
I hate those narratives that if you don't jump on EVs, your future is doomed.The last 5 years just don't show it. The EV market is still small and infrastructure missing in most of the world.Toyota played it safe and made bank when everybody was saying they were doomed.German automakers went hard on EVs. VW group sold 1 million fully electric vehicles in 2025, they will probably overtake Tesla in a couple of years for the biggest non-Chinese EV automaker by sales, but is it paying off financially?At the same time german premium brands have a very hard time differentiating when Chinese cars offer similar quality at half the price even after tariffs.
dangus
I don’t think the title is hyperbole. Toyota isn’t giving up on their long term EV R&D plans.Just look at Nissan, which is broke as a joke, but they still put a new Leaf model on the market.Lately there’s been a vibe that the EV experiment has died off, but that really isn’t true looking at industry reporting.There is stalling that seems related to subsidy expiration and/or scale back, but we could argue that subsidies expiring is happening because the subsidies aren’t needed to sell vehicles anymore.20% of new vehicles sold globally are EVs. Critical mass has been achieved, and not just in China (20% of vehicles sold in Europe are EVs).This is also an admission that Honda is just giving up on Acura completely. That $50k two row luxury SUV buyer that is such an industry staple buyer for the US auto industry is going to be buying Rivian R2s instead of an EV Acura MDX.
storus
Are they killing their EVs because of vibrations?
kazinator
> The large battery in an EV makes it easier to feed powerful computers, and it allows things like over-the-air updates to happen when the car is parked and “off.”I don't want anything of the sort as a consumer, so auto makers who don't "get" it either are fine by me. Nay, heroes.
steve-atx-7600
“Many automakers have found that dropping batteries into a car originally designed for an internal combustion engine”. Reminds me of idiotic hybrid variants of Subaru and Honda vehicles that don’t have spare tires because the battery was slapped into the existing vehicle platform as an afterthought. Eg. Subaru forester hybrid. Car bought by educated, practical folks.
tim-projects
This doesn't mention motorcycles> For the fiscal year ended March 31, 2025 (FY2025), motorcycles accounted for about 17% of total revenue, while cars made up around 65%.I wonder what the plan is for motorcycles, where in much of Asia cars aren't really viable and there are no real competitors to Honda engine bikes.
underlipton
Consumers, mostly those who buy EVs from the likes of Tesla, Rivian, and BYD, have grown accustomed to the frequent updates, slick infotainment software, and advanced driver-assistance systems. Honda has yet to make significant progress in any of those domains."Grown accustomed to" is a funny way of saying "begrudgingly put up with because the alternative is buying a new car, but really they would rather not have to deal with that crap at all."
tills13
Oh I mixed up Honda and Hyundai in my head and panicked for a second. Were they even ever trying?
fivedicks
They’re going to make planes for WW3.
ta9000
Ironically, Trump attacking Iran and closing the Strait is a boon to China and EV makers. Once the car is produced, aside from lubricants, it’s completely independent of oil. Heck you can put panels on your rooftop and slow charge it during the day.
jerlam
Do people really want "software defined vehicles"? People keep repeating how Tesla keeps upgrading their software, but I don't really want my car to change every time I step into it.The person I know who loves FSD has soured on updates since the last one changed how the car handles simple things like intersections, and it's added a lot more stress.Cars should be appliances, boring and reliable, not something to amaze and delight you. Especially since the latter usually changes into "sell ads and your personal information".
gorfian_robot
Big Fucking Mistake. They should come together with BYD.
dev1ycan
Japanese auto companies are so incredibly corrupt it's hilarious. Toyota has clear ties with terrorist organizations plus intentionally going out of their way to kill EVs with the whole hydrogen scam. And Honda right here trying to "kill" EVs as well.The moment a battery without lithium comes out, legacy car engines are dead for good.
jmclnx
Worldwide ? Seems so from the article.But my guess is maybe Honda will wait for Tesla or another US based auto company with EVs to fail and buy that company. Seems that is how large companies do "innovation" these days.
dbg31415
> It makes really good engines, and that's starting to matter less and less.Maybe. But here's the thing... most cars today feel completely lifeless.Honda knows how to build an engine and wrap it in a car that actually makes you feel something. That still matters.Anyone here driven an S2000?It's still the best car I've ever owned. Light, raw, grippy, and genuinely fun -- every drive felt like an event, not just transportation. (And it was still an affordable car!)They killed it around 2010. I've never found anything that captures that same feeling since, at any price point.So yeah -- Honda will always have a place in my heart. When they want to, they build something truly special.Here's one of their marketing films they can use to find inspiration again.* Failure: The Secret to Success - A Honda Documentary - YouTube // https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xOVig5H7UbM
tim-tday
The wind is just blowing back towards internal combustion for the moment. A couple years and they will shift again. Killing the whole research project would be dumb. Killing current models makes some sense.
nytesky
Honda is an engine company at its heart. It makes very reliable, long lived engines.They refine technology not really invent it (maybe invented VTEC). The transition to EV will be very gradual, I don’t even think we have enough rare earth metals and electrical grid capacity to go even twice as fast in adoption?Honda is waiting for the standards and technology to settle out and become commodity technology, then they implement and iterate to a refined and reliable product.It doesn’t seem like a winner take all market for EV? What would be the most? Perhaps I am ignorant on that part of market dynamics.*edit for typos
chmorgan_
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blell
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mono442
ICE cars are still the majority of new cars being sold and it'll still take a while for EVs to become more popular.
bronlund
I think this is a smart move, the EV boom is soon coming to and end. There is just not possible to make enough batteries or to deliver enough power, for all of us to drive electric.Is it possible to deliver and store electricity in a more efficient way perhaps? Rumor has it that it does, but not in a way you can put a meter on :)
sys_64738
Anything you need to plug into a power source is doomed to fail. EVs are simply not designed properly which is why hybrids are the best of both world. A Camry hybrid has some genius technology as the EV part is used at low speed and ICE at higher speed. That is the perfect balance and you see why it's a success for them. Toyota make the best hybrid vehicles. Honda makes hybrids too so they're not throwing all their EV technology into the e-waste bin.