Afeela EV revealed as Sony and Honda’s joint automotive venture

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It was during the Consumer Electronics Show 2020 that Sony whipped the covers off a concept sedan that it was calling the Vision-S, but it seemed that the Japanese tech giant had no real interest in pursuing the project further. 

Fast forward three years, and Sony has just used the same CES forum to unveil the Afeela EV brand, which has been created in partnership with Honda. 

Sony has stated that Afeela is set to hit the North American market in 2026 with a premium EV sedan that’s set to rival the likes of BMW, Polestar, Mercedes-Benz and Audi. 

While there is still a lot of mystery surrounding this new Afeela brand, it seems that Honda is looking to leverage Sony’s experience in the entertainment and artificial intelligence (AI) fields to create a unique driving experience in the EV space. 

Speaking at the event, Sony Honda Mobility CEO Yasuhide Mizuno spoke about how the new partnership could bring drivers closer to their cars through the use of interactive technologies. 

“Afeela represents our concept of an interactive relationship where people feel the sensation of interactive mobility and where mobility can detect and understand people and society by utilizing sensing and AI technologies,” Mizuno said.

Those who remember the first concept from Sony will see the similarities with this new sedan, but the Afeela wears a gloss black roof, gets a closed-off grille, and features a light bar that stretches across the front fascia. 

According to Mizuno, this sedan makes use of over 40 sensors in the form of cameras, radar, ultrasonic, and lidar systems across the exterior. Like other modern vehicles, these will work to detect objects, and help the car drive autonomously. 

On the inside, the Afeela looks like any other modern EV with large screens stretching from pillar to pillar, and a yoke for the steering wheel. Though it wasn’t visible in the concept presented, Sony has previously floated the idea of integrating a PlayStation 5 into the operating system of the vehicle. 

Mizuno also mentioned that Sony will likely have a subscription service, where owners will have to pay to unlock certain features. It will be interesting to see how this turns out, considering the backlash BMW copped for a similar approach.  

So far, the only all-electric vehicle that the world has seen from Honda came in the form of the ‘e’, and while it’s a charming little vehicle, a lacklustre range figure meant that it didn’t take the fight to more traditional EVs such as the Nissan Leaf or Tesla Model 3. 

The Japanese carmaker is planning on launching the Prologue in North America next year, which will be the brand’s first long-range EV. It’s likely Afeela’s electric sedan will follow this up in 2026.