Sony Honda Mobility (SHM), a joint venture between Sony and Honda, has revealed its first electric vehicle (EV) called the Afeela 1 at this year’s Consumer Electronics Show (CES). Previously previewed in prototype form, the Afeela 1 will officially go on sale in the United States (California first) sometime in 2025, with deliveries expected to start in mid-2026, including in Japan. Production of the EV will take place in the US at an “existing, state-of-art plant in Ohio.”
Two trim levels are offered to prospective buyers willing to put up the USD200 (about RM900) reservation fee, including the Signature that is priced from USD102,900 (RM463k). A cheaper option called the Origin starting from USD89,900 (about RM404k) is also offered, although deliveries of this will only start sometime in 2027.
According to the official Afeela website, the 1 measures 4,915 mm long, 1,900 mm wide, 1,461 mm tall and has a wheelbase spanning 3,000 mm. The five-seat sedan also has a minimum ground clearance of 137 mm and its rear cargo volume is listed at 765 llitres (27 cubic feet).
As for the powertrain, the Afeela 1 gets a dual-motor setup for all-wheel drive, with each electric motor being rated at 245 PS (241 hp or 180 kW) for a combined output of 489 PS (483 hp or 360 kW).
These motors draw power from a lithium-ion battery with an energy capacity of 91 kWh, enabling an EPA-estimated range of up to 483 km (300 miles). The EV supports AC charging at a peak capacity of 11 kW, while DC fast charging is up to 150 kW. The latter is with the North American Charging Standard (NACS), which allows the Afeela 1 to tap into Tesla’s Supercharger network.
Both trim levels get this setup, along with double-wishbone front suspension and multi-link at the rear. Differences between the two include wheel sizes (19-inch for the Origin and 21-inch for the Signature), exterior colour options (Calm White, Tidal Grey, Core Black for the Signature; only Core Black for the Origin), rear entertainment screens (Signature only) and a camera rear-view mirror (Signature only).
In terms of common features, the Afeela 1 comes standard with a motion management system integrates control of the motor, brakes and suspension to provide optimal ride comfort and precision handling on various road surfaces. Noise and vibration reduction features also allow occupants to focus on in-car entertainment.
Other items include an external information display (dubbed the Media Bar) located between the headlamps, automatic power doors, a yoke steering wheel, digital key support with companion app, rear seat power outlets, an active rear spoiler, side cameras and sustainable interior fabrics.
No shortage of tech either, with the dashboard housing an array of screens that Sony refers to as the Panoramic Screen. The infotainment system’s functions include immersive 3D maps, a wide selection of entertainment options, customisable themes, over-the-air (OTA) updates, a digital assistant (Afeela Personal Agent) and 5G connectivity. Sony-developed active noise cancellation and spatial sound systems are also included, as is support for remote gaming with the PlayStation 5.
SHM’s propriety ADAS is called Afeela Intelligent Drive and utilises 40 sensors (cameras, lidar, radars and ultrasonic radars) to sense and collect data from the surroundings. This is sent to an electronic control unit with a computing power of up to 800 TOPS and AI technology to provide autonomous drive features.
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With 800TOPS, it’s better than PS5 and VAIO,
It could support running WindowsOS and Keyboard too.
That’d become personal super computer.
Yes, Many advanced EV with the AI self driving has very High TOPS, including Nio, Tesla, Xpeng, Xiaomi, etc.
at this price. good luck.
Give me one reason why should I buy this at RM404k while I can some many other good options?
Sony Vision S look miles better than this ugly sad excuse of EV
With merger with Nissan will this be called Sony-Honda-Nissan-Mitsubishi-Renault Afeela 1?
90k USD car that has similar tech of today but will only be delivered 2 yrs later…sounds like an ordinary investment scam to me. Look else where.
Ridiculous price. Why would any American want to choose this over a Tesla?
Failure in progress….
“489 PS AWD, 483 km EPA EV range; priced from RM404k” – rm404k ??? honda thinks it can still fleece its customers like 10 or even 5 years ago – a BYD, zeekr, xpeng etc etc can sell you one with the same of even better spec for 1/2 the price …
Afuera
no need to waste your resource on R&D and come up with this ugly and expensive EV, just pay China brand to use their platform better