Honda Axes New EVs Before Launch, Blames Waning Interest and Policy Shifts

What Car Shoppers Need to Know

• Honda is canceling its fully electric 0 Series Saloon and SUV, as well as the Acura RSX (Acura is Honda’s premium brand).
• The electric vehicles were to be built in Ohio and would have been Honda’s first modern internally developed EVs.
• Honda says it will refocus on hybrids.

Honda announced a major shift in its future plans today with the cancellation of its U.S.-built 0 Series SUV and Saloon EVs, as well as the Acura RSX EV. They were set to go on sale in late 2026 or sometime in 2027. Honda said its decision was influenced by U.S. tariff policy, waning U.S. interest in EVs, changes in U.S. government fossil-fuel regulations and significant competition in Asian markets. And when we say “major shift,” we mean it. Honda is anticipating the total losses from this decision at 2.5 trillion yen, which is well over $15 billion at current exchange rates.

Related: Honda Reveals 0 Series Sedan and SUV Concepts, Ambitious Tech Plans at CES

Wait, No New EVs From Honda?

For shoppers, this means there will be no new Honda or Acura EVs in the near future. The 0 Series and RSX were set to be Honda’s first modern internally developed EVs and were to be built in Ohio. Honda and Acura already sold EVs in the U.S., but the Honda Prologue and Acura ZDX EV SUVs were joint ventures with GM EVs from Chevrolet and Cadillac. The Prologue and ZDX may have worn different badges, but both felt nearly identical to their GM counterparts, the  Chevrolet Blazer EV and Cadillac Lyriq. Honda positioned the two as temporary models as it built out its own EV capacity; the ZDX has already been discontinued, but it remains to be seen how long the Prologue has left or what this pivot will do to Honda’s plans for it. As of this writing, the 2026 Prologue is still on sale.

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What Were the Canceled EVs?

The 0 Series EVs were a pair of futuristic-looking vehicles that radically departed from Honda’s current styling. The Saloon was a wedge-shaped sedan that looked somewhere between a Dustbuster and a four-door version of the 1990’s Vector W8 supercar. The SUV was somewhat more traditional-looking but still quite out there, particularly for a conservative automaker like Honda. The Acura RSX, meanwhile, was a coupelike-SUV that borrowed its name from a discontinued Acura sports coupe. We even called it “the most important Acura in years” when we saw the concept in 2025. All were supposed to feature Honda’s new native Asimo operating system.

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What’s Next?

“In light of the recent slowdown in the growth of the EV market in the U.S., Honda will reassess its resource allocations and further strengthen its hybrid models,” the automaker said in a statement.

That’s likely some good news for shoppers, given that Honda currently makes excellent hybrids, including the Accord, Civic and CR-V. There are, however, glaring holes in its lineup. A hybrid powertrain, even as an option, might do wonders to revitalize models like the HR-V subcompact SUV or Odyssey minivan. Acura could use hybrid powertrains as a way to make its vehicles stand out in a sea of similar premium and luxury offerings.

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