Just before New Year’s Eve, Japanese carmaker Honda signed an MoU with rival company Nissan Motor Co. to consider merging the two auto firms. And now, just in the first week of 2025, Honda has strengthened its alliance with tech giant Sony under the Sony Honda Mobility banner by officially unveiling the production-spec AFEELA 1 EV saloon at the ongoing CES 2025.
The new AFEELA 1 is a battery-powered electric saloon – the first model to be sold under the AFEELA brand being headed by Sony Honda Mobility Inc. Highlights of the new AFEELA 1 include its capability of utilising the Tesla Supercharging Network across the United States with a targeted driving range at 482 km or 300 miles, a dashboard brimmed with screens from width-to-width, a cabin built with partially recycled materials and speakers and displays for each occupant of the car to enjoy personalised “creative entertainment space”.
The new AFEELA 1 also boasts ADAS features that are capable of assisting the driver from the departure point to parking at the destination, utilizing 40 sensors including cameras, LiDAR, radars, and ultrasonic sensors equipped across the car’s exteriors. The new EV from Sony Honda Mobility Inc also benefits from an Interactive Personal Agent that enables communication with the vehicle, allowing occupants to enjoy conversations with the in-car agent and even receive activity suggestions.
Prices for the new AFEELA 1 start at $89,900 with a 3-year complimentary subscription for certain functionality and features. The new AFEELA 1 will be available in two trims with the base trim called Origin and the top-trim Signature trim which includes 21-inch wheels, a rear entertainment system and a Central Camera Monitoring System being offered at $102,900.
“Sony Honda Mobility strives to evolve relationships with people through intelligent mobility and revolutionize the travel experience. We are very pleased to unveil AFEELA 1, developed for the era of autonomous driving, at CES 2025. AFEELA 1 can be called a buddy, combining advanced software with meticulously refined hardware. We will meet our customers’ expectations by providing a safe, secure, and comfortable travel experience.” said Yasuhide Mizuno, Chairperson and CEO, of Sony Honda Mobility Inc.
AFEELA 1 is scheduled for U.S. production at an existing, state-of-art plant in Ohio with official sales in California anticipated in 2025 and deliveries anticipated in 2026 for the Japanese market and mid-2026 for the US market. Online reservations through the AFEELA website are now open with a fully refundable reservation fee of $200.
I like the look of it. Reminds me of the Lucid Air. Are no specs confirmed yet?
No performance figures confirmed yet, but the features list appears to be so. But even with that, the hero image states a *(subject to change) condition also being present