Honda Pulls the Plug on Its Lone US EV

Honda's lone electric SUV in the US is headed for the exit ramp. The automaker will stop making the Prologue after the 2026 model year and pivot toward hybrids, Bloomberg reports, as demand for the EV has lagged. Sales of existing Prologue inventory are expected to continue into early 2027, and Honda plans to keep offering used versions through its certified pre-owned program. "Right now, the key for the marketplace is a balance of (internal combustion engines) and hybrid," Lance Woelfer, American Honda's vice president of automobile sales, tells the Wall Street Journal.

Built by General Motors in Mexico and launched in 2024, the Prologue has sold roughly 40,000 units annually—about one-tenth the volume of the CR-V, notes the Journal—and deliveries fell 40% in June even as Honda's overall US sales rose 2.4%, lifted by hybrid CR-Vs, Accords, and Civics. The move follows Honda's earlier cancellation of three future North American EVs, a decision that triggered $10 billion in charges and its first net loss as a public company last year. Honda now aims to roll out 15 new hybrids globally by March 2030, most bound for North America. The move is "allowing us to pivot where we expect the consumer to be, which is expanding that hybrid lineup," says Woelfer. "And it doesn't mean EVs aren't part of the future for us."