Sony Honda Mobility announced the first model to be sold under the Afeela brand: simply, the Afeela 1.
Although it might sound like a contrived pharmaceutical name ("Ask your doctor if Afeela is right for you"), the name Afeela plays off the word feel, which the companies say “is at the core of the mobility experience envisioned by Sony Honda Mobility.”
It represents “an interactive relationship where people ‘feel” mobility as an intelligent entity, and mobility ‘feels’ people and society using advanced technologies such as sensing and networking.”
Sony and Honda came together in 2022 with the “aim to revolutionize the mobility experience by redefining the relationship between people and mobility.”
Afeela 1 is scheduled for U.S. production at an existing Honda plant in Ohio with official sales in California anticipated in 2025 and deliveries anticipated in mid-2026.
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The vehicle will be available in two trims, with prices starting from $89,900 with a 3-year complimentary subscription for certain functionality and features. The Signature trim will set consumers back an eye-popping $102,900. Online reservations through the Afeela website are now open with a fully refundable reservation fee of $200.
The company’s plan to sell directly to consumers is noteworthy, since some states have laws in place to protect dealership owners. Sony Honda Mobility CEO Shugo Yamaguchi announced that intent at a media conference at CES in Las Vegas. He says the decision to sell directly to buyers would make the sales process simpler while enhancing customer satisfaction.
Independent of Sony, Honda also introduced the prototype of the new flagship model of the 0 Series, the Honda 0 Saloon, which it also plans to bring to market in 2026.
“When we unveiled the Honda 0 Series, we introduced our development approach of ‘Thin, Light, and Wise,’” said Katsushi Inoue, senior anaging executive officer, electrification business development operations, Honda Motor Co., Ltd. during the media conference at CES.
This year, the automaker made this approach the theme to its presentation in Las Vegas.
“With automakers competing on the value offered as software-defined vehicles, why are we describing our 0 Series as ‘wise,’ instead of ‘smart’? It is to emphasize a new level of intelligent vehicle technology,” Inoue says. “The Honda approach to the art of making things has always been human-centric. The same is true with the 0 Series. Our EVs will offer ‘ultra-personal optimization’ by thinking completely about the customer, and optimizing all details, including precise control settings for vehicle dynamics.”