Sony Honda Mobility’s joint EV enterprise, Afeela, returned to CES 2026 with its first-ever standalone press convention, utilizing the highlight to additional flesh out its imaginative and prescient for a Sony-infused electrical future. The corporate as soon as once more showcased the upcoming Afeela 1 electrical sedan, shared new particulars about personalization options and US manufacturing plans, and it closed the presentation with a shock reveal: the Afeela Prototype 2026 idea, a car that, considerably humorously, gained’t arrive till “as early as 2028.”
Sony’s electrical automobile ambitions date again to CES 2020, when it first unveiled the Vision-S concept sedan, adopted by the Vision-S 02 SUV idea in 2022. These early present vehicles laid the groundwork for what has since advanced into the Afeela 1, the model’s first manufacturing car, which is at the moment slated to reach within the US later this 12 months.
When Afeela finalized key particulars across the Afeela 1 finally 12 months’s CES, I used to be crucial of its comparatively modest EV efficiency specs, particularly given a worth that may stretch into six-figure territory. At this 12 months’s press convention, Sony Honda Mobility America doubled down on its perception that the Afeela 1 gained’t stand out on vary or acceleration alone, however somewhat by way of its in-car leisure ecosystem and superior driver help and autonomy expertise.
The Prototype 2026 brings the SUV proportions of Sony’s earlier Imaginative and prescient-S 02 idea nearer to manufacturing.
A serious draw for future Afeela homeowners is Sony’s deep integration of PlayStation recreation streaming. The corporate confirmed that PlayStation Distant Play, a characteristic that dates again to the PS3 and PSP period and now works throughout PS4, PS5, smartphones, tablets, PCs, Macs and the PlayStation Portal, can even be accessible on the Afeela’s expansive in-car shows. With an information connection and a DualSense controller, occupants will be capable of stream console video games straight within the car, a characteristic clearly aimed toward retaining passengers entertained or serving to drivers cross the time whereas charging.
Sony additionally mentioned its Afeela Co-Creator program, an initiative that can permit content material companions to design downloadable experiences that embody dynamic wallpapers, instrument cluster coloration schemes, ambient lighting results, customized motor sounds and bespoke dashboard purposes. Drivers will be capable of entry and handle these personalization choices by way of a smartphone app, successfully tailoring the automobile’s digital character to their tastes. The primary fruits of the Co-Creator program might be customized themes and e-motor sounds impressed by Astro Bot and Gran Turismo PlayStation video games.
Afeela will permit its content material companions to create customized themes for its electrical vehicles, beginning with the Astro Bot and Gran Turismo PlayStation titles.
Music and sound, Sony says, will play a significant function in Afeela’s personalization technique. Sony described how artists might develop customized sound profiles by way of the Co-Creation program, creating audio experiences meant to make the act of driving extra participating. One instance created and demonstrated onstage by Grammy-nominated music producer Tomoko Ida blended parts of Western digital music with conventional Japanese strings, shaping all the things from startup sounds to motion-related tones because the automobile strikes. I’ve gotta say, it sounded fairly cool.
On the enterprise aspect, Sony Honda Mobility America executives mentioned “nearing operational readiness in the USA” for the manufacturing Afeela 1. The corporate at the moment operates 4 California-based studio hubs the place potential clients can expertise the car and its large dashboard firsthand, with two further areas deliberate to open this spring. An Afeela Superior Entry take a look at drive program for early reservation holders is ready to start this 12 months, and the model additionally plans to broaden its presence into Arizona in 2027, probably by way of further studios and pop-up experiences somewhat than full-scale gross sales operations within the southwestern state.
Regardless of being referred to as the Prototype 2026, Afeela’s new electrical SUV will not arrive till 2028 at finest.
Manufacturing plans had been additionally clarified in the course of the presentation. Based on CEO Yasuhide Mizuno, manufacturing of the Afeela 1 will happen within the US at Honda’s plant in Ohio, the place dry-run preproduction is already underway. Deliveries are anticipated to start in California in late 2026, adopted by Japan within the first half of 2027. As said beforehand, orders are at the moment open with costs starting from $89,900 for the bottom Origin spec to $102,900 for the full-fat Signature mannequin.
The occasion concluded with the revealing of the Afeela Prototype 2026, a compact SUV idea that borrows its design language and expertise from the Afeela 1 sedan, whereas mixing proportions and scale paying homage to the Imaginative and prescient-S 02 Idea. Whereas the title suggests one thing nearer to market, Sony Honda Mobility made it clear that this subsequent mannequin remains to be a number of years away, with availability focused for 2028 on the earliest.
