The luxury EV sedan market is getting crowded. Along with Tesla, BMW, Porsche, Audi, Mercedes-Benz, and other established luxury automakers, new kids such as Lucid and Polestar have challenged the status quo.
Another name is about to join the scene. The AFEELA 1 will arrive in mid-2026 and is promising to reinvent the experience of an all-electric vehicle. Yet multiple outlets are already proclaiming the AFEELA 1 is “too little, too late.”
What’s the reality, and is the AFEELA 1 worth getting excited about? I decided to look closer at what this luxury EV brings to the table. I quickly discovered, though, that I can’t tell the story of this car without first detailing its origins.
Sony and Honda: A Modern Vehicle Pairing
The name “AFEELA” sounds like a small EV start-up, but it’s really a 50/50 partnership between two of Japan’s biggest conglomerates. One is Honda, an undisputed worldwide automotive king. The other is Sony—the same Sony responsible for the PlayStation video game console and your premium headphones and TVs (along with the music and shows you watch on them).
A company like Sony getting involved in EVs makes sense. There’s a lot of technological carryover, and Sony is known to be car-crazy, as its portfolio includes the legendary Gran Turismo video game series. In the early 2020s, Sony expressed its desire to enter the EV scene by showcasing multiple prototypes. The problem was that Sony had no EV infrastructure, so the barrier to entry was steep.
That’s where Honda comes in. The automaker already had a large fleet of electrified vehicles and was building up infrastructure for a new generation of EVs (the Honda 0 Series is expected to launch around the same time as the AFEELA 1). Furthermore, partnering with Sony represented an opportunity for Honda to work on additional high-end projects, beyond those even of its Acura luxury brand.
Joining Forces for EVs
In March 2022, Sony and Honda formally agreed to explore a joint venture to develop and build electric vehicles. Sony Honda Mobility (SHM) became a reality that October, and it chose the AFEELA brand name for its vehicles. The name was intended to sound like “feel” and reflect the focus on an interactive experience where cutting-edge digital technology and human sensation meet.
The AFEELA 1 is the first vehicle to result from this partnership. The company’s first concept sedan debuted at the January 2023 Consumer Electronics Show, and a production AFEELA 1 prototype was first seen at the January 2025 show. After multiple delays, SHM is now taking reservations, and large-scale production should begin in early 2026, with the first models arriving in California.
A First Look at the AFEELA 1
In designing the AFEELA 1, SHM had a few points of emphasis. One was to incorporate as much of Sony’s entertainment empire and sensory technology as possible to inspire strong feelings behind the wheel. Another was to focus on autonomous driving technology, furthering interaction with the road and with the person at the wheel.
The chosen setting is best described as a liftback sedan. It’s approximately the same size as the Honda Accord, but with a larger cargo area. SHM President Izumi Kawanishi recently acknowledged that starting with an SUV would have been a better business decision, yet they are committing to the sedan market for now.
However, SHM is taking a modern route to vehicle sales. Rather than working with existing Honda and Acura dealerships, the AFEELA 1 can only be purchased from the manufacturer. Many automakers have a direct-sales option, but SHM is choosing to bypass dealerships altogether (which has already spurred a lawsuit from the California New Car Dealers Association claiming that the practice goes against state laws).
What to Like About the AFEELA 1
Now it’s time to get into the details. I’ll start with the positive: the AFEELA 1 achieves its stated goals well. SHM developed AFEELA Intelligent Drive as its flagship semi-autonomous advanced driver assistance system, using a whopping 40 sensors to assess the vehicle’s surroundings. These include 18 cameras, 12 ultrasonic sensors, nine radar sensors, and a LIDAR array, making it one of the few current vehicles with LIDAR.
The AFEELA 1 is also designed to communicate with drivers and passengers about what’s around them and what’s ahead. This is part of the goal to deliver more interactivity. Meanwhile, AI-enhanced data analysis works behind the scenes to plan routes that avoid hazards and traffic snarls. SHM has included AFEELA Personal Agent as a digital voice assistant with an emotional side.
Of course, infotainment is top-notch. A panoramic dash display and external media bar display everything you need, and you can customize the background to the point of adding 3D maps. The speaker system uses Sony 360 Spatial Sound Technologies and Dolby Atmos, so you know the audio is pristine.
For good measure, when the car is in park, you can watch movies and play video games, whether on the main display or the available rear entertainment system. Sony Remote Play and 5G Wi-Fi even let you access your PlayStation at home. Granted, most of the movies and games come from Sony’s catalog, but that’s a hefty catalog. Fortnite battle in the car, anyone?
Where the AFEELA 1 Falls Short
Although the amenities are nice, there still needs to be a car underneath them. Unfortunately, the AFEELA 1 specs are best described as adequate. Two electric motors combine to produce 482 hp—a nice number, but nowhere near what the Tesla Model S (1,020 hp) and Lucid Air (1,234 hp) can do. Little info has been released about the suspension or driving dynamics, so I’ll reserve judgment there (though the vehicle is playable in Gran Turismo 7 if you want a potential sneak peek).
Range and charging are also a concern. SHM says the maximum range from the 91 kWh battery is 300 miles. By comparison, some Lucid Air configurations can go over 500 miles between charges. The DC public charging rate is also only 150 kW using the NACS charging port, which is fine for a budget-friendly Ford or Chevy, but not so much when Tesla and Lucid are recharging in the 250 to 300 kW range.
Finally, this is an expensive EV. Back in 2022, SHM chairman and CEO Yasuhide Mizuno declared its vehicles would be “reasonably” priced. I guess that depends on your definition of reasonable, since the AFEELA 1 Signature trim level starts at $102,900. The entry-level AFEELA 1 Origin, which will arrive in 2027, lists for $89,900.
Granted, these prices include many standard items. Instead of paying separately for things like AFEELA Intelligent Drive, the personal agent, and the entertainment library, you receive a three-year subscription from the get-go. Still, that’s a lot of money to part with.
Who Is the AFEELA 1 for?
Ultimately, I wouldn’t say the AFEELA 1 is “too little, too late.” A better assessment is that it’s a different approach to a luxury electric sedan. The market is still evolving, and the Sony/Honda partnership saw an opportunity to focus on the best tech and the most unique in-vehicle experience possible.
This is the audience for the AFEELA 1: drivers who want advanced driver assistance, two-way communication, the latest entertainment, and high levels of personalization—and who aren’t as concerned about top-end mechanical performance. If this describes you, then the AFEELA 1 and any future AFEELA EVs may be worth a look.
