Sony Honda’s AFEELA 1 nears production reality

Sony Honda Mobility has confirmed customer deliveries of its AFEELA 1 electric vehicle will begin in California within 2026, while debuting a new prototype that signals the joint venture’s longer-term ambitions.

The company used the CES 2026 technology conference in Las Vegas to showcase both the pre-production AFEELA 1 and the world premiere of the AFEELA Prototype 2026, with a production model based on the latter expected to launch in the United States as early as 2028.

AFEELA 1 reservations began in California in January 2025, with the company reporting more than 100,000 visitors to showrooms and vehicle exhibitions, plus over 24,000 in-vehicle demonstrations within the first year.

The joint venture between Sony Group Corporation and Honda Motor has been positioning AFEELA around what it calls “Mobility as a Creative Entertainment Space,” emphasising artificial intelligence integration and personalised user experiences over traditional automotive metrics.

Manufacturing moves to Honda’s Ohio plant

Sony Honda Mobility conducted trial production runs of AFEELA 1 at Honda’s East Liberty Auto Plant in Ohio during autumn 2025, with the pre-production vehicles from those runs displayed at CES 2026.

The company plans to open combined showroom and delivery facilities – dubbed “AFEELA Studio and Delivery Hubs” – in Torrance and Fremont, California this spring. Early reservation holders will be offered demo drives later this year through a programme called AFEELA Advanced Access.

Sales are scheduled to expand to Arizona in 2027, with deliveries in Japan planned for the first half of 2027.

Technical partnerships shape next-generation platform

The company confirmed it will adopt solutions from Qualcomm Technologies’ Snapdragon Digital Chassis for its next-generation electrical and electronic architecture, supporting what Sony Honda Mobility describes as an “AI-centered” mobility experience.

AFEELA 1 features what the company calls AFEELA Intelligent Drive, an advanced driver assistance system that aims to evolve into Level 4-equivalent capabilities. The system integrates Vision-Language Model technology and is designed to progress from current Level 2+ assistance to what Sony Honda Mobility terms a “drive-less” environment.

The vehicle also includes AFEELA Personal Agent, a conversational artificial intelligence system powered by Microsoft Azure OpenAI Service.

Developer programme and blockchain platform planned

Sony Honda Mobility announced the “AFEELA Co-Creation Program” to provide creators and developers with access to development documentation for in-vehicle entertainment content, including themes and applications.

The company is also developing what it describes as an “on-chain mobility service platform” using blockchain technology and a token-based incentive model. The platform is intended to support what Sony Honda Mobility calls “X-to-Earn” concepts across mobility service development cycles.

The AFEELA Prototype 2026 builds on the original concept while offering what the company describes as “greater spatial flexibility and accessibility” aimed at a broader user base.

While Sony Honda Mobility has not announced plans for New Zealand availability, the AFEELA project represents the growing convergence of technology and automotive sectors, with traditional tech companies increasingly entering the electric vehicle market alongside established manufacturers.