Sony Honda Mobility Afeela 1 Deliveries to Start in 2026, $89K Option Due in 2027
The 2025 Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas is a big deal for Honda. Not only did the automaker debut its own upcoming electric 0 Series Saloon and SUV, but Honda’s partnership with the electronics giant behind the PlayStation gaming console (and a few other devices you might find around your house) announced details on its first vehicle. The Sony Honda Mobility Afeela 1, an electric sedan from the new company, is set to go on sale in 2026.
Related: Honda, Acura Expand EV Charging Access With New Agreements
It’s Sony Honda, Not Honda Sony
As a clue to where Sony Honda Mobility’s priorities lie, the partnership’s announcement at CES did not mention powertrain at all, and the only reference to the Afeela 1’s battery pack is in a sentence in the last paragraph of the release that says the company is targeting a range of up to 300 miles. But we know from previous exposure to the Afeela 1 that it will sport two electric motors, one powering each axle for all-wheel drive, for a total output expected to be around 480 horsepower. The Afeela’s motors draw electricity from a 91-kilowatt-hour battery, which is similar in capacity to the battery packs used by other EVs, but its maximum DC fast-charging rate of just 150 kilowatts lags well behind the fastest-charging electrics on the market today.
Now that other brands can use Tesla’s charging network, the Afeela 1 will come from the factory with a Tesla charging port. Tesla’s plug and port, which it calls the North American Charging Standard, are considerably smaller than the Combined Charging System equipment other brands have employed until now. Having the NACS port built in means drivers won’t have to fumble around at charging stations with an adapter that’s like a giant dongle for plugging a USB-C accessory into a standard USB port.
Interaction for a New Age
Sony Honda Mobility says that the Afeela 1 “pursues an interactive relationship between people and vehicles,” which strikes us as a little ironic given the company’s focus on autonomy. Indeed, CEO Yasuhide Mizuno specifically states the car was “developed for the era of autonomous driving.”
In the Afeela 1, interacting with the vehicle will not be defined as stepping on pedals and twisting a steering wheel (it has a yoke, anyway). Rather, it relies on an immersive 3D sound system and displays for every seat. SHM says it’s “working on creating unique entertainment experiences using driving and vehicle data through collaborations with external creators and developers.” We’d be open to trying out an augmented reality experience that renders traffic as a horde of orcs to swerve through.
That doesn’t seem totally out of the question. In addition to 40 different sensors — cameras, lidar, radar and ultrasonic sensors — the Afeela 1’s Intelligent Drive suite of driver-assist systems employs video-game developer Epic Games’ Unreal Engine graphics technology to visualize the sensors’ inputs on the dashboard display. Remember when you used to know what was around your vehicle because you were looking out the windows? But the outside world is nothing more than a bother in the Afeela 1, which boasts proprietary noise-canceling technology SHM says allows occupants to “focus on in-car entertainment.”
SHM’s vision of the near future also accounts for another cornerstone of next-generation mobility: sustainability. The brand says plant-derived and recycled materials account for approximately 70% of the Afeela 1’s interior surface area. Recycled materials are not only used to construct the body panels, but also the chassis.
More From Cars.com:
- Which Electric Cars Are Still Eligible for the $7,500 Federal Tax Credit?
- Honda Previews Future EVs With 0 Series Concepts
- Is the 2024 Honda Prologue a Good EV? 5 Pros and 3 Cons
- Here Are the New Electric Vehicles Planned by 2027
- More EV News
Availability and Pricing
Sony Honda Mobility will begin building the Afeela 1 later in 2025 in Ohio, likely at the same Honda manufacturing facility that will build the 0 Series EVs. The Afeela 1 is available for reservations now, and deliveries will commence in the middle of 2026, initially only in California. At first, SHM will only sell the Signature trim, which carries a starting price of $102,900 (destination charges are TBD) and includes 21-inch wheels, a rear-seat entertainment system and more. The entry-level Origin trim level is estimated to arrive in 2027 and sticker at $89,900 to start.
Related Video:
Cars.com’s Editorial department is your source for automotive news and reviews. In line with Cars.com’s long-standing ethics policy, editors and reviewers don’t accept gifts or free trips from automakers. The Editorial department is independent of Cars.com’s advertising, sales and sponsored content departments.
