The Afeela 1 Sedan Enters Pre-Production at Honda’s Plant in Ohio
Sony and Honda’s collaborative EV bristles with features, but the nearly $90K starting price is very high.
A joint project between Sony and Honda, the Afeela 1 has begun pre-production at Honda’s plant in East Liberty, Ohio.
The Afeela 1 will carry a sticker that starts at $89,900, and the electric sedan will go on sale in mid-2026.
The vehicle will target tech junkies, with passengers able to watch movies in surround sound or listen to audiophile-quality music, for example.
The electric Afeela 1—a collaboration between Honda and Sony—is in pre-production at Honda’s East Liberty plant in Ohio, with a brief to set a high standard for manufacturing. That could turn out to be a welcome development, especially considering some recent and fairly troubled model introductions—the Fisker Ocean and the VinFast VF8 come to mind.
The Afeela 1 from Sony Honda Mobility was first announced during CES 2023 in Las Vegas. Flash forward a couple of years, and refundable reservations ($200) are open now. The first cars will be offered in two trims: the Origin, starting at $89,900, and the Signature, starting at $102,900. Deliveries are slated for mid-2026; however, the more basic Origin model will appear sometime after Signature.
Sony Honda Mobility
The upscale version adds 21-inch wheels, rear entertainment, and a center camera-monitoring system. The Afeel 1 also comes with 40 sensors (cameras, lidar, radar, ultrasonic), an ECU leveraged with over-the-top computing power (800 trillion operations per second), AI tech, active noise canceling, and a spatial sound system.
The prices include three-year subscriptions to some of the connected features, but they seem steep for the current market. But maybe they’re on target for a car that seeks to redefine “the relationship between people and mobility.”
Karl Brauer, executive analyst at iSeeCars.com, agrees that the price is a problem. “Partnering with Sony allows Honda to share the cost of developing an EV, while also benefiting from Sony’s ability to incorporate advanced technology into a new passenger vehicle,” he told Autoweek.
Sony Honda Mobility
“Unfortunately, even with the shared cost, the Afeela’s price and electric drivetrain will limit its consumer appeal to the same buyers already shopping Lucids, Rivians, and Teslas. As an exercise in producing a new EV with advanced features, the Afeela will provide a test bed for two companies dabbling in electric vehicle production. But it will have little-to-no impact on the overwhelming majority of car buyers.”
Photos of the pre-production process show white-coated engineers checking for even the smallest inaccuracy in panel gaps (using a dedicated tool), validating door panel assembly with a custom jig, working on the car’s unique polishing process—with automated sanding machines—for a uniform reflective surface.
The car itself is straightforward, with front and rear 241-hp electric motors providing all-wheel drive, an estimated 300-mile cruising range, and a 91-kWh battery that can be charged, including at NACS-equipped Tesla’s Superchargers, at up to 150 kilowatts.
Sony Honda Mobility
Sony Honda Mobility
But it’s the entertainment tech inside that sets the car apart. The passengers can watch movies in surround sound or listen to audiophile-quality music. The map feature includes 3-D renderings that are shown on dash-spanning screens. The interior is customizable with in-cabin themed wallpaper and ambient lighting. The e-motor sounds can also be adjusted.
Sony Honda Mobility told Autoweek that the company is exploring additional Afeela 1 models. It also said that the EV will be offered internationally, starting in California. Afeela will also launch in Japan sometime in 2026.
Related Stories
Hands On with Sony Honda Mobility’s Afeela 1
Afeela 1: What We Know So Far
The Afeela 1 EV Will Start at $89,900
From: Autoweek
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Jim Motavalli
Contributing Editor
Jim Motavalli is an auto writer and author (nine books) who contributes to Autoweek and Barron’s Penta. He has written two books on electric cars, Forward Drive (2000) and High Voltage (2010), and hosts the Plugging In podcast.
Motavalli’s writing has appeared in the New York Times, CBS Moneywatch, Car Talk at NPR, Forbes, US News and World Report, Sierra Magazine, Audubon, and many more. In his spare time, he reviews books and jazz.
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