Two more EVs for the trash heap: Volvo EX30 and Honda Prologue
5 hour ago / Read about 7 minute
Source:Theverge

The steady stream of news about automakers cancelling or discontinuing electric vehicles continues apace. This week it’s Volvo’s small, quirky EX30 and Honda’s solo electric offering in the US, the Prologue. Both are the latest victims of stagnating EV sales in the US thanks to the Trump administration’s decision to eliminate tax incentives.

First, the EX30. The small SUV was the most affordable EV in Volvo’s lineup, even if it took some time before it arrived on our shores. Volvo spokesperson Sophia Durr says that the automaker’s US division has decided to discontinue the EX30 and EX30 Cross Country after the 2026 model year. It will, however, remain on the market globally, including in Mexico and Canada.

“Volvo Cars’ commitment to electrification and our customers remains unchanged,” Durr said in a statement, “and we look forward to continuing to bring exciting new electrified options to our customers in the US, including the all-new EX60 and upgraded EX90.”

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One of the lingering problems for the EX30 was that it wasn’t as affordable as originally billed. When it was first announced in 2023, Volvo said the price would start at $34,950, positioning it as the smaller, less expensive EV that many people were clamoring for.

But politics intervened, and Volvo was forced to delay the EX30’s arrival in the US until 2025, citing newly leveled tariffs against vehicles built in China. Eventually, the model that went on sale in the US started at $44,900, which last I checked was significantly more than $34,950.

Things are also looking pretty grim for the Honda Prologue. A few days after Honda said it was cancelling its Zero Series EVs, Automotive News published a report that said the Prologue SUV would be next on the chopping block. The automaker will reportedly not order a second generation of the EV, effectively pulling the plug on the nameplate just two years after its debut.

The decision appears to mainly come from General Motors, which builds the Prologue for Honda under a shared platform agreement at its Ramos Arizpe plant in Mexico. GM is slated to end production of Honda’s crossover as it shifts away from EVs and toward internal combustion vehicles and hybrids.

Still, Honda is pushing back on the report, with spokesperson Chris Naughton telling me that the story is “based purely on speculation” and that the Prologue “remains in our lineup.” Still, Honda recently said it was taking a write-down on its EV investment of as much as $3.5 billion after finding itself in an “extremely challenging earnings situation.” Naughton declined to respond to follow-up questions about GM’s production decisions.