TL;DR: When you’re a fan of sweater vests, rising bonsai bushes within the quiet of your well-manicured dwelling, actively keep away from the gaze of fellow drivers, and also you occur to have an additional $100k mendacity round, that is the automobile for you. Pre-orders for the AFEELA 1 are at the moment open, however solely in California. consumers can safe a spot on the pre-order record with a $200 deposit. Base mannequin Origin editions solely are available black and begin at $89,900 USD. The decked-out Signature variant arrives with a hefty price ticket of $102,900 USD.
Wait, What New Automobile is This?
At this yr’s 2025 Client Electronics Present in Las Vegas, Nevada, Sony and Honda formally introduced the discharge of their joint-project, the AFEELA 1 EV, underscoring Honda’s formidable try and crack into the posh electrical car area. This barely revised rendition of the unique prototype–unveiled at CES 2024–looks production-ready with its aerodynamic wheels, AI performance, minimalist inside, and premium infotainment techniques. The brand new sedan measures 193.5 inches in size, barely shorter than a 2024 Honda Accord however with an extended wheelbase. Nonetheless, with an extremely steep price ticket and relatively reserved (learn: secure) aesthetics, the jury continues to be out concerning whether or not usually cost-conscious Honda customers will probably be keen to shell out $100k on this newest providing. We’ll get the reply to that query quickly sufficient, nevertheless, as pre-orders are actually formally open—through a $200 refundable deposit—to these dwelling within the inexperienced state of perpetual sunshine, California.
Mannequin Variants and Pricing
This new Honda-Sony partnership studies it can provide the AFEELA 1 in two trim packages: the Origin and the extra upscale Signature editions. Beginning at $89,900 USD, the base-model is, apparently sufficient, out there in any coloration you’d like, so long as that coloration is black. Donning 19-inch alloy wheels, and ample room and know-how to appease 4-5 adults, deliveries of this base mannequin are anticipated to reach someday in 2027. Transferring up a tier, the top-of-the-line Signature variant is available in at an eye-watering $102,900 USD. This black-tie bougie model provides an additional array of thrilling coloration choices, together with and fairly restricted to black, grey, and white. That includes 21-inch alloy wheels, rear screens, a digital rear-view mirror, and extra, Honda followers can anticipate deliveries of this rendition to reach stateside first, as early as mid-2026.
Following within the footsteps of different luxurious automakers, AFEELA 1 clients may also need to pay for the power to make use of lots of the embedded technological options for which they already paid a premium. And whereas the accounting staff at Sony Honda Mobility ever so “graciously” provides new house owners a three-year “complimentary” subscription for a majority of these options, after that preliminary interval, these options change into subscription-based choices as a substitute. This alarming new development of subscription-based “options” forces customers to proceed paying for the “rights” to make use of the options that already got here pre-installed on their autos. These subscription-based options usually goal beloved creature comforts, issues like heated seats and steering wheels, premium audio experiences, energetic driving help, and voice recognition. Evidently, after already asking clients to shell out $100k for a car—and on this case, a Honda no-less—we’re all a bit miffed by this unlucky development in the direction of luxurious rental-ownership.
Whereas the AFEELA 1 intends to boast a modern design with conventional side-view mirrors and substantial headlights, loads of CES attendees reported feeling a bit underwhelmed by the fanfare over what they discovered to be delicate, even boring design decisions.
As one occasion attendee poignantly quipped, “It principally appears so much like a Toyota Crown.”
All joking apart, the AFEELA 1 is provides passengers a tract of touchscreen acreage spanning the width of the dashboard, wi-fi cellphone chargers, and an inward-facing digicam, which, truthfully, leaves us a bit unnerved about occupant privateness. It’s invasive sufficient that cellphone corporations and app builders observe our ideas and actions via our telephones, however including company cameras to one of many final true vestiges of our non-public lives feels, for this editor anyway, like a step gone too far. The remainder of the cabin design emphasizes a impartial and minimalist aesthetic, aiming to steadiness excessive tech edginess with a distinction of pure and supple supplies just like the clear design ideas present in Volvo interiors. Inner spy digicam apart, the car consists of one other 45 cameras and myriad sensors to allow superior driver-assistance techniques and different autonomous driving capabilities.
Central to the AFEELA 1’s enchantment for a lot of is its AI-powered know-how. The AFEELA 1 Clever Drive system introduces autonomous driving capabilities that cease simply shy of changing Jeeves, your private driver. In the meantime, the AFEELA Private Agent acts as a digital assistant whereas touring the open highway. Sony’s experience in software program and leisure shines via the inside with twin rear-seat screens—within the Signature mannequin—to provide children and coworkers alike with a personalised and immersive in-car expertise. The EV helps 5G community connectivity for seamless integration with good gadgets, enhanced navigation, communication, and real-time updates for site visitors and apps. This sturdy 5G integration system additionally ensures these “creature consolation” subscriptions of yours keep up-to-date.
All AFEELA 1 fashions are geared up with a dual-motor all-wheel-drive powertrain, every producing a considerably meager 241 horsepower. That mentioned, it’s probably that Honda is just attempting taking a extra sensible strategy right here—in any case it is a Honda. As different automakers proceed to roll out extra EV fashions, it’s probably that we’ll proceed to see the business transfer towards lower-powered EVs sooner or later. Boy racer egos apart, it’s a transfer that admittedly is smart. Not each car, nor each EV proprietor for that matter, wants and even needs a 2-second 0-60 time from their grocery getter. Decrease powered electrical autos can sport smaller batteries and lighter drivetrains, making them greener, extra environment friendly, and admittedly, extra sensible. Using on a mixture air-spring suspension system, the AFEELA 1 ensures a clean and comfy trip throughout metropolis and nation settings alike.
Wanting forward, Honda plans to introduce two new fashions by the top of the last decade, together with a crossover-sized SUV constructed on the identical sedan platform, and a extra inexpensive compact mannequin designed to compete with the likes of the Toyota Corolla. Anticipate SUV fashions to reach mid-2027 and compact fashions to hit dealership flooring by 2028. Honda studies their extra cost-friendly compact fashions will characteristic trickled-down choices and applied sciences from their a lot costlier siblings, in an effort to convey prices down for its total EV lineup.
Sony and Honda hope their strategic partnership permits them to make an impression within the luxurious EV market. With its AI-driven options, entertainment-focused design, and spectacular vary, the AFEELA 1 has an opportunity to earn a spot on the desk of electrical autos. Nonetheless, Honda’s dear gamble on its relatively mundane aesthetics leaves traders and fan boys alike a bit on edge.
