Sony Honda Afeela Launches With A Message Board On The Nose
Remember the Afeela? The electric car from Honda and Sony that the two companies say will “revolutionize the mobility experience” is no longer just a concept and an idea. The two companies, under the banner Sony Honda Mobility (SHM), are building it. You can make a reservation for the Afeela 1 today, and production is set to start in 2026 at one of Honda’s existing plants in Ohio.
Honda
Japanese automaker Honda rose from the ashes of WWII and set about its business as a manufacturer of motorcycles initially, only launching its first car, the T360 kei truck, in 1963. Founder Soichiro Honda targeted the American market as the most important nut to crack, leading to generations of iconic nameplates like the Civic and Accord being among America’s best-selling passenger cars. Today, Hondas are renowned for their safety, practicality, and reliability, with a sprinkling of performance from models like the Civic Type R.
- Founded
- 24 September 1948
- Founder
- Soichiro Honda
- Headquarters
- Hamamatsu, Japan
- Owned By
- Publicly Traded
- Current CEO
- Toshihiro Mibe
Honda is the automaker of many partnerships, with General Motors for its Ultium-based Prologue EV and fuel cell tech, BMW and Ford for charging, the imminent merger with Nissan, and, of course, this Sony partnership. The launch of this new car took place at the 2025 Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, which started today. CES 2024 is where Sony and Honda unveiled the last Afeela prototype.
Reservations Are Now Open, But Only For California
Reservations are open now for California residents because the car will go on sale there first. A $200 deposit gets you in the line for production set to start in 2026. The more expensive $102,900 Afeela 1 Signature comes first, and a lower-spec model, called Origin, will come in 2027 and start from $89,900.
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The Afeela 1 is still short on details, but we do know some things about the car. SHM estimates a 300-mile range from a 91 kWh battery pack and 150 kW fast charging from the new NACS plug. Power output is 241 horsepower from each motor for a total output of 483 hp. SHM wants this electric car to be different. Instead of being a car you turn over every few years, Yasuhide Mizuno, CEO of SHM, has said that the company wants this to be a car you keep for a decade or more. It has talked about leases that long, with software updates to keep its tech current over time.
Tech-Focused With Frequent Updates
No surprise for a car developed by a tech company, the Afeela 1 is tech-heavy inside and out, starting with Afeela Intelligent Drive. This is SHM’s advanced driver assist system, and it uses 40 sensors, including LiDAR, to develop better perception, prediction, and planning for driving. SHM calls it Level 2+, and the purchase price of the car gives you three years of it.
As the price tag suggests, SHM is going upmarket with this car. Features like screens across the entire dash and a digital message board display on the nose, along with rear seat screens (and rear seat wireless charging), help send that luxury message.
Related
Sony And Honda Will Launch Three Models Before 2030
The electric sedan we saw at 2024 CES will be joined by an SUV in 2027 and an affordable compact car a year later.
The Afeela 1 will have active noise cancelation and 360 Spatial Sound, both developed using Sony’s expertise. SHM promises a car that is always connected and that will receive frequent updates to its AI and other software systems to improve the experience over time.
The Afeela 1 probably won’t be sold at Honda dealers, though. SHM plans a different experience for the EV and has even floated the possibility of letting any dealer sell the car. SHM plans a separate conference at CES this week to announce and outline its customer experience and detail the ownership experience.
