Honda shelves $11B Canada EV factory as its electric retreat deepens

Honda is shelving its massive C$15 billion ($11 billion) EV and battery manufacturing hub in Ontario, Canada, according to a new report from Nikkei. The move escalates what was initially framed as a temporary pause into what increasingly looks like an indefinite retreat.

The decision is the latest domino to fall in Honda’s accelerating withdrawal from electrification, which has already included a $15.7 billion writedown, the cancellation of three key EV models for the US market, and the death of its Sony Afeela partnership.

From ‘historic investment’ to shelved in two years

When Honda announced the Alliston, Ontario project in April 2024, it was billed as the company’s most ambitious EV commitment yet. The plan called for a new EV assembly plant capable of producing 240,000 vehicles per year, a 36 GWh battery factory, and cathode material processing facilities through joint ventures with POSCO Future M and Asahi Kasei. Production was targeted for 2028.

By May 2025, Honda paused the project for approximately two years, citing tariff uncertainty under the Trump administration and softening EV demand. The company said at the time it would revisit the timeline in 2027.