Sony Honda Mobility Afeela 1
- Thread starter ProjectWHaT
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- 15,393
- TRAPPIST-1g
- ProjectWHaT
In person preview of the Afeela
- 2,325
- Germany
So, the biggest feature of the car is the option of being distracted by watching Sony Pictures movies on a large display, while having your passengerseated child swiping your navigation map left and right and all over the place?
- 2,941
- Columbus, Ohio
I was wondering why Sony and Honda kept pushing forward on this, but remembering when it was first announced and the recent mega disaster that was Concord, it makes more sense.
This is basically Sony's response to both the belief that Apple was moments away from getting into the car business themselves and that self driving cars would be an established thing on the market by now. Only by the time Apple quietly abandoned their car plans to chase the AI craze instead, and it became apparent that FSD is still many years out at best (and that most people don't even really want it anymore), Sony had already plowed too much money into it to just quietly can the project and try to explain the loss to their shareholders.
So they have to see it through even if they take a huge beating on it because the perceived market segment for this kind of vehicle never materialized, and Honda likely doesn't care too much if it flops because their mobility arm will be eating the loss, so it stays off the main company's books even though their name is on it.
This is basically Sony's response to both the belief that Apple was moments away from getting into the car business themselves and that self driving cars would be an established thing on the market by now. Only by the time Apple quietly abandoned their car plans to chase the AI craze instead, and it became apparent that FSD is still many years out at best (and that most people don't even really want it anymore), Sony had already plowed too much money into it to just quietly can the project and try to explain the loss to their shareholders.
So they have to see it through even if they take a huge beating on it because the perceived market segment for this kind of vehicle never materialized, and Honda likely doesn't care too much if it flops because their mobility arm will be eating the loss, so it stays off the main company's books even though their name is on it.
- 15,393
- TRAPPIST-1g
- ProjectWHaT
Sony and Honda’s Afeela electric car will start at $89,900
The Afeela is coming into focus.
www.theverge.com
$90,000
- 87,245
- Rule 12
- GTP_Famine
This is the discussion thread for an article on GTPlanet:
Sony’s Afeela 1 is Available to Reserve Now, Arrives 2026 from $89,900
The Afeela 1, a Sony-designed car developed in collaboration with Honda, is available to reserve now ahead of its planned arrival on the US market in mid-2026 and priced from $89,900...
the Interceptor
Premium
- 4,129
- Germany
- theInterceptor77
I think the car's introduction in GT7 has been somewhat botched, which - for me at least - throws a negative light on it. It is available for free in the game, so there is no worth as such and you cannot sell it. You also can't remove it from your garage - once you have it, you're stuck with it. It doesn't drive that well and you can change virtually nothing other than the tire compound, so you cannot improve handling, styling or aerodynamics. And GT7 has no specific races for EV cars, so there are no events for which the car qualifies in particular.
So how exactly was putting the Afeela in GT7 (as-is at least) promotion for it?
EDIT: Isn't 90k USD a bit steep for what you're getting? The Afeela doesn't appear to have any qualities to make it stand out above other EVs, especially for that price. And I understand the chin rubbing about the "media bar". It would mostly been distracting for other drivers trying to read it, and thus a safety risk, no? And how long before they put ads on it? Well, it seems the car is botched IRL too, so at least it's a consistent experience.
So how exactly was putting the Afeela in GT7 (as-is at least) promotion for it?
EDIT: Isn't 90k USD a bit steep for what you're getting? The Afeela doesn't appear to have any qualities to make it stand out above other EVs, especially for that price. And I understand the chin rubbing about the "media bar". It would mostly been distracting for other drivers trying to read it, and thus a safety risk, no? And how long before they put ads on it? Well, it seems the car is botched IRL too, so at least it's a consistent experience.
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- 57
- Nürnberg
what gets me is how they advertise the "3-year complimentary subscription" to the ADAS and infotainment...
So after that you have to either pay up, or have your cars' features locked away? Sure, I'd love to pay 90k to be extorted by a bland EV.
The absolute state of the car industry. I know others do it already, but framing it as if the customer should be grateful for the subscription being free initially is so shameless. Sure, THAT justifies the 90k pricepoint, good job they put it on the presentation!
So after that you have to either pay up, or have your cars' features locked away? Sure, I'd love to pay 90k to be extorted by a bland EV.
The absolute state of the car industry. I know others do it already, but framing it as if the customer should be grateful for the subscription being free initially is so shameless. Sure, THAT justifies the 90k pricepoint, good job they put it on the presentation!
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- 6,937
- United Kingdom
They should add option to make it sound like a vacuum cleaner as a joke.
Sony Honda Mobility Joins Forces with Polyphony Digital to Develop e-Motor Sound for AFEELA: https://www.shm-afeela.com/en/news/2025-01-06/
Think they will struggle to sell at that price given the range from that battery size. It will be very dated by 2026 and even more so in 2027, it is already miles behind cars released years ago as it is.
Sony Honda Mobility Joins Forces with Polyphony Digital to Develop e-Motor Sound for AFEELA: https://www.shm-afeela.com/en/news/2025-01-06/
Think they will struggle to sell at that price given the range from that battery size. It will be very dated by 2026 and even more so in 2027, it is already miles behind cars released years ago as it is.
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- 2,941
- Columbus, Ohio
3 years is about the length of the average lease, so for most owners the subscription is going to be someone else's problem. It's also basically guaranteeing that these things will be dead weight once they hit the used lots, because the cost of reactivating those features is going to be rolled into the resale cost as nobody wants to buy a half-bricked car, and that'll probably push their price up into the range where you could probably just get a nicely optioned new Corolla or equivalent for the same money.
- 1,488
- United Kingdom
- evildave333
gopping lol
- 365
- United Kingdom
- ZedNinetySix &
- 2,941
- Columbus, Ohio
Actually yeah, despite the hefty price this does have fleet car vibes all over it. The screens filling up the dashboard and front grille area would be perfect for displaying ads while slowly trundling around a congested city, to say nothing about putting a wrap over that mostly featureless body.
I do have to wonder if the Nissan merger is going to have any effect on this though, given it will be fully finalized in 2026. Kinda wouldn't surprise me if they only fill existing orders and then we never hear about it again after that.
I do have to wonder if the Nissan merger is going to have any effect on this though, given it will be fully finalized in 2026. Kinda wouldn't surprise me if they only fill existing orders and then we never hear about it again after that.
- 791
- Brazil
From the promotion and the fact that US pre-sales start in california, it makes me feel that they want to sell the car for people that want a alternative to Tesla
but there is a bit BUT on this... the BASIC level of Afreela 1, is 1500 USD MORE EXPENSIVE THAN THE PREMIUM TESLA S MODEL AND HALF OF TESLA 3 MODEL
Also i still wonder how this will affect GranTurismo, honda (obivusly) is the only automaker that is fine with all it but will other car brands be that much willing to give up their cars to sony scan them from now on?
but there is a bit BUT on this... the BASIC level of Afreela 1, is 1500 USD MORE EXPENSIVE THAN THE PREMIUM TESLA S MODEL AND HALF OF TESLA 3 MODEL
Also i still wonder how this will affect GranTurismo, honda (obivusly) is the only automaker that is fine with all it but will other car brands be that much willing to give up their cars to sony scan them from now on?
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the Interceptor
Premium
- 4,129
- Germany
- theInterceptor77
Or why not a 2025 Porsche Taycan for 108k$? Granted, it's 5k$ more expensive than the Afeela Signature and probably equipped worse at this price point ... but its a Porsche.
- 791
- Brazil
we are talking about avg consumer here, not enthusiasts
is the same mistake as people were doing with jaguar, is think that this is focused for us that like cars, this is made for people that only think that cars are just a tool to go from point a to point b, this why this car, since day 1, had a HUGE focus in automation and in-car infotertainment instead of stuffs that enthusiasts care about
its time to accept, specially nowadays, that not everything on car market will be focused for people that like driving or people that see cars as more than just a tool of many tools they have nowadays. like their smartphones, their smart tvs, their aleixas...
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the Interceptor
Premium
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- Germany
- theInterceptor77
My argument is that if you would have the money to buy and run an EV for more than 100,000 USD, would anyone actually choose to buy a Sony/Honda Afeela 1 Signature (102,900 USD) over a Porsche Taycan (107,905 USD)? For the average consumer, both are irrelevant because of their price point. However, people who can afford the Afeela Signature surely can save up the 5,005 USD more and buy a Porsche instead of a Sony/Honda.
- 2,941
- Columbus, Ohio
Well yeah, that's been the ultimate goal of the auto industry for the last 25 years or so, for their products to be seen as disposable appliances you replace every couple years. The world is so oversaturated with vehicles now that it's the only way they're going to convince anyone to buy a new car anymore, and also why they're experimenting with locking things behind subscriptions.
But a car can still be interesting while staying entirely utilitarian, and this doesn't even try that. It's very boring and anonymously styled, in-car entertainment is hardly a new thing and the external screen is more of a novelty than a useful feature, and its price point pushes it far out of the range of the average consumer who might be interested in it and into the realm of luxury cars, a field which has many other offerings which are much nicer in design and more prestigious in name.
Outside of early adopters who always want the newest shiny and probably some private transport companies who see the potential in making these rolling billboards, I'm not entirely sure what the target market is supposed to be, especially in 2027 when we're halfway through whatever economic chaos is coming up soon.
- 1,999
- Ontario
- bloodyboyblue
This is doomed to be the subject of “remember when Sony made a car?” videos in 20 years. An interesting footnote and that’s about it, its combination of range, features and price render it instantly uncompetitive. Aside from the competition from luxury brands that have actual cache and Tesla, don’t forget the Lucid Air exists also.
- 29,302
- Glasgow
- GTP_Mars
I think who ever dreamed up the Afeela should be ordering one of these for themselves, quickly...
Browsing this thread, I've seen two photos that made me think "Oh, that's actually quite alot nicer than I thought"... then I realised one picture was the Tesla, and the other was the Taycan.
That's a fair point, but you seem to be forgetting that some people are nuts.
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- 73
- Czech Republic
- StephanCTR
The car seems like interesting product, but it's target group is quite specific - it speaks for itself that it will be sold only in California in the beggining. Correct me if I am wrong, but I suppose this will be very good way to differentiate oneself from all the Californinan neighbours in Teslas. Or premium germans for that matter.
And I think Sony and Honda are clever enough companies to have it financially planned - with the production line in USA, they even shouldn't be much impacted by possible Trump's tariffs. For Honda, this is an easy way of going upmarket (like so many brands with EVs) and for Sony possibility to boost their business with cameras, sensors and other automotive electronics.
And I think Sony and Honda are clever enough companies to have it financially planned - with the production line in USA, they even shouldn't be much impacted by possible Trump's tariffs. For Honda, this is an easy way of going upmarket (like so many brands with EVs) and for Sony possibility to boost their business with cameras, sensors and other automotive electronics.
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I don’t see why it would affect Gran Turismo in any way, it’s not like car manufacturers would suddenly not want to put their cars in the game just because Sony (a separate company from polyphony) made a car that didn’t do well
Even with that in mind there’s still much better options (especially ones that don’t lock the infotainment system behind a subscription). Even the Taycan, a car made by Porsche, is still very much viable as a consumer car and seems much better at being a “car” than this would (not to mention that one on the used market would be a lot, lot cheaper). The kinds of people who only see cars as a tool are generally the kinds of people who won’t spend much money on a car. Just because Porsches are generally more enthusiast oriented doesn’t automatically mean they get undercut by the Afeela in appealing to more general consumers (and honestly the Panamera and their SUVs are proof of that). Even if someone has loads of money but only sees a car as a tool, if they would spend this kind of money they generally will care more about brand image and something that’s more established in the higher end of price ranges cars.
Being able to remote play PS5 or do some other gimmicky things in the infotainment isn’t going to be enough to sell someone this over a Model S (or Taycan, or e tron gt), because those aren’t even the kinds of things that people who see cars as an appliance care the most about.
- 1,285
- Athens
- Nickf1gr
With 89-103 k euros there are so many nice cars that you can buy new and used with very interesting driving characteristics....
https://suchen.mobile.de/fahrzeuge/search.html?con=NEW&dam=false&ft=DIESEL&ft=HYBRID&ft=HYBRID_DIESEL&ft=PETROL&isSearchRequest=true&p=89000:103000&ref=dsp&s=Car&sb=rel&vc=Ca New here...
https://suchen.mobile.de/fahrzeuge/search.html?con=NEW&dam=false&ft=DIESEL&ft=HYBRID&ft=HYBRID_DIESEL&ft=PETROL&isSearchRequest=true&p=89000:103000&ref=dsp&s=Car&sb=rel&vc=Ca New here...
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