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.
It’ll be available in two specifications, dubbed “Origin” and “Signature”, with the latter being a higher grade and starting at $102,900. Prospective customers in California only can make a reservation now for $200, with other areas to follow later in the year.
The Origin model can be distinguished by smaller, 19-inch wheels in a different, three-spoke style design and will only be available in a single exterior and interior color combination: Core Black over black. Signature is closer to the concept model shown over the past few years, and the car players can drive in Gran Turismo 7, with 21-inch wheels, an additional gray interior color, and two additional body colors: Calm White and Tidal Gray.
Other differences are primarily in terms of entertainment and connectivity technology, with the car underneath remaining an all-wheel drive, twin-motor machine in either grade. Each of the two motors, one on each axle, delivers 180kW (241hp) for a combined 360kW (482hp) output. Polyphony Digital has been brought on board to create the sounds for the motors.
Afeela is projecting a 300-mile range from charge to charge, with the Afeela 1 supporting NACS charging — including the entire Tesla Supercharger network — at up to 150kW. Given that the battery pack itself is 91kWh, that should result in some pretty sprightly charge times, and the specifications appear to be a pretty close match, unsurprisingly, for the upcoming Honda 0 Series range.
Where Afeela 1 will major is in relation to connected technology — which still forms the bulk of any press release from the Sony Honda Mobility joint venture. The latest information, presented at the 2025 Consumer Electronics Show (CES), presses that home even more.
The presentation once again saw the car drive itself onto the stage — called forth by SHM director, chair and CEO Yasuhide Mizuno on what appeared to be a mobile phone app — and high-level autonomous driving is a key component of the Afeela 1’s offerings.
Drivers will be able to converse with the car through the Afeela Personal Agent (“AI-powered”, of course), which can also make suggestions as to appropriate entertainment as well as comfort options. SHM has partnered with Amazon Audible, Amazon Music, Crunchyroll, Spotify, and TuneIn for entertainment features, as well as Dolby Atmos for the in-car audio. It even supports PlayStation 5 Remote Play — though doesn’t include its own in-built console.
One feature that makes us thoughtfully rub our collective chins is the “media bar”. This comprises an information display on the front of the vehicle — where the Afeela “badge” is located — which can show charging information, or display news like traffic, weather, or even sports results, as well as messages for other cars. Imagine having a race spoiled for you by the nose of a car tailgating you…
Sony Honda Mobility will build the vehicle in the USA, at an “existing, state-of-art plant in Ohio” — which we’d assume to be Honda’s Marysville Auto Plant — with a large proportion of recycled materials in the chassis and body panels, as well as about 70% of the interior surface area.
First official test drives are set to get underway in early 2026, and first deliveries of the Signature model coming in the middle of the year. Origin will follow in 2027, while markets other than the USA and Japan are yet to be announced.
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