Honda delays self-driving rollout
- Honda Motor has delayed its artificial-intelligence-powered self-driving rollout to 2028, pushing the target back one year after canceling three North America electric vehicles. - The delay follows Honda’s March reset, which scrapped three planned EV models in North America and shifted the autonomous launch toward hybrids. - Honda had targeted mass production after 2027 with Helm.ai and earlier pitched 2026 robotaxis in Tokyo. (asia.nikkei.com)
Honda Motor has pushed its artificial-intelligence-powered self-driving rollout to 2028, one year later than planned. (asia.nikkei.com) Nikkei Asia reported the delay on April 26, saying Honda’s retreat from its electric-vehicle plan left the original launch models canceled. Honda had been aiming to start deploying the system in 2027. (asia.nikkei.com) The technology is being developed with California startup Helm.ai for production consumer vehicles. In August 2025, Helm.ai said Honda was targeting mass production after 2027 for its Navigate on Autopilot platform. (helm.ai) That system is not a fully driverless car. Helm.ai described it as a partially automated setup that still requires constant driver attention, even as it handles steering and acceleration across highways and city streets. (helm.ai) Honda’s product plan changed sharply on March 12, 2026. The company said it would cancel the development and market launch of three electric vehicles planned for production in North America after reassessing its electrification strategy. (global.honda) Honda said the business environment had shifted because of U.S. tariff policy changes, weaker profitability in its gasoline and hybrid business, and declining competitiveness in Asia after directing more resources to electric vehicles. (global.honda) Before that reset, Honda had tied its next-generation software and automated-driving push to the 0 Series electric vehicles. At CES in January 2025, Honda said the 0 Saloon and 0 SUV would reach global markets starting in 2026 and help extend its Level 3 automated-driving lead. (global.honda) (hondanews.com) Honda has also been juggling a separate autonomy plan in Japan. In October 2023, Honda, General Motors and Cruise said they aimed to launch a driverless ride-hail service in central Tokyo in early 2026 using the Cruise Origin. (global.honda) The new 2028 target leaves Honda further from the timetable it had laid out for both consumer automation and robotaxi-style services. The company now has more time to prove the software in vehicles it still plans to build. (asia.nikkei.com) (global.honda)
