QUICK SUMMARY
Sony’s first car, called the Afeela, is about to go into pre-production at a Honda facility in Ohio, US. Packed with technology and entertainment features, the EV is priced from around £67,000 and is due to arrive with customers in 2026. It is currently only available in California, with a Japan launch expected soon.
Four years after Sony first revealed its plans for an electric car, the Afeela 1 has entered the pre-production stage of development.
This means that, while customer cars aren’t rolling down the production line just yet, the tech firm is producing so-called pre-production examples, ready for the final stages of testing ahead of the first deliveries.
Instead of building its own car factories from scratch, Sony has partnered with Honda, who is making the first examples of Afeela 1 at its East Liberty plant in Ohio, US. By teaming up with an established carmaker, Sony is taking a different approach to some other EV startups, who have instead used contractors like Magna Steyr.
(Image credit: Sony Honda Mobility)
Revealed in its final form at the CES tech show in January this year, the Afeela 1 is priced from $89,900 for the Origin trim level and $102,900 for the Signature. Orders can be placed with a $200 refundable deposit, and Sony says the first deliveries will begin in mid-2026. Cars are due to arrive in California first, and there is expected to be a Japanese launch next year too.
A car for technology fans, the Afeela 1 boasts 40 sensors (including lidar, radar, ultrasonic and regular cameras), an ultra-powerful ECU and, given this is Sony, plenty of onboard entertainment too. This includes active noise cancelling, a sound system with support for spatial audio, and displays for both the front and rear passengers. The latter each get a 12.9-inch LED screen, while those up front are greeted by a huge screen that spans the entire width of the dashboard. There are also displays for the digital wing mirrors, of course.
(Image credit: Sony Honda Mobility)
Despite all of the tech, the car itself is relatively simple, as far as EVs go. It has a pair of electric motors each producing 240 horsepower, a 91 kWh battery pack, an estimated range of 300 miles and a relatively modest maximum charge rate of 150 kW.
But will all this be enough to see Sony take on established carmakers? Even with developing and manufacturing help from Honda, the tech company faces an uphill battle if it wants to sell a near-three-figure saloon with specs that, while impressive when first announced a couple of years ago, have since been overtaken by more established rivals.
So far, at least, Sony’s ambitions seem to be going to plan, and we’ll likely see the first pre-production Afeela cars on the streets later this year.
