Honda halts plan to build $15B EV plant in Canada: report
Multiple reports confirm that Honda has put its Canadian EV megaproject on ice, with cancellation now a real possibility:
Honda has indefinitely suspended the EV assembly plant, battery factory, and related materials facilities originally announced in 2024.
The project was supposed to produce 240,000 EVs per year starting in 2028 and anchor a full EV supply chain in Ontario.
This follows a two‑year postponement announced in 2025, which has now escalated into a full freeze.
Nikkei Asia and Electrek report that Honda is no longer treating this as a temporary pause — the project is now “shelved”, meaning it may never proceed in its original form.
Why Honda halted the project
The decision is driven by a dramatic shift in North American market conditions:
1. EV demand in the U.S. has collapsed
U.S. EV sales fell 36% in Q4 2025.
Hybrids, meanwhile, surged to 19% of U.S. new‑car sales, up from 11% the year before.
Honda is now prioritizing hybrids over EVs in its North American strategy.
2. U.S. policy changes under President Trump
The Inflation Reduction Act EV tax credits were eliminated in September 2025, raising EV prices by ~20%.
Relaxed fuel‑economy standards reduced pressure on automakers to build EVs.
These changes made a Canadian EV plant far less economically viable.
3. Honda’s global EV retreat
Honda has been unwinding its EV plans across the board:
Cancelled three North American EV models in 2025–26.
Ended the Sony Afeela EV partnership.
Took a ¥2.5‑trillion (US$15.7B) writedown on its EV business.
The company is now focusing on hybrids and delaying affordable EVs until late in the decade.
What this means for Canada
This was expected to be one of the largest private-sector investments in Canadian history. Its suspension has major implications:
Loss of a planned 36 GWh battery plant and associated supply‑chain facilities.
Uncertainty for Ontario’s EV‑manufacturing strategy.
Potential ripple effects on suppliers like POSCO Future M and Asahi Kasei, which have already pushed back their timelines.
The Canadian government is still in discussions with Honda, but the company has not ruled out cancelling the project entirely.