Four years after the very first concept, Sony and Honda are finally launching pre-orders for the Afeela 1.
Long shown in the form of a concept, Sony’s first electric car will not be for all budgets. The manufacturer of the Playstation has nevertheless found its partner to launch into this ultra-competitive sector: it is Honda. CES 2025 allowed us to discover the “almost final” prototype of the vehicle, the first concept of which was revealed for the first time in 2020.
Together, they unveiled two models: the Afeela 1 Origin, which starts at $89,900, and the Afeela 1 Signature, which goes up to $102,900.
Very high prices, much more than Tesla, but which allow access for three years to several “bonuses” including “intelligent driving”, a selection of “immersive” content, and an Afeela “personal agent”. The integrated battery ensures up to 480 kilometers of autonomy.
A soundscape from the creators of Gran Turismo
The vehicle is packed with sensors and cameras – around forty – to ensure “semi-autonomous” driving. Sony and Honda, however, do not hide their ambitions and want to directly compete with luxury car manufacturers in the sector.
On stage, Yasuhide Mizuno, CEO of Sony Honda Mobility, for example, called the car, which then appeared at his side. However, voice control via telephone is still in the technical demo stage – like the entire product.
More notable: the ambient sound, notably of the engines, will be provided by the Polyphony Digital studio, to which we owe the video game saga Grand Tourism.
In the cabin, we also note the presence of a very large touch screen. Sony assures that a number of partners will be present, including the Spotify, Audible and Amazon Music platforms.
Pre-orders start today for California – other US states are planned with a payment of $200. It is the Signature version (in three colors), which is the most expensive, which will be released first, from 2026. The “basic” model (in black) will arrive the following year.
It remains to be seen whether Sony – or Honda – did not wait too long to launch their vehicle, while incentives for the purchase of an electric vehicle could be removed by the future Trump administration. But the Japanese duo nevertheless has in stock a sedan with premium finishes and undoubtedly more versatile than a Tesla or a BYD.
