Sony Honda Mobility Built The First Production Afeela 1 In Ohio, But At $102,900 Will Anyone Actually Want One?

I was in Las Vegas at the Consumer Electronics Show in January 2020 (a memory that sends shivers down my spine), when automakers were still heavily invested in the show and its importance to the future of electric vehicles and autonomous driving. There were a ton of reveals that year, some from companies that don't exist anymore — though I did ride in a Faraday Future FF91 prototype, and somehow they're still kicking. But the debut that made the biggest splash was the Sony Vision-S, especially once it became clear how serious Sony was about entering the car industry, potentially with multiple models.

Two years later, Sony joined with Honda to create Sony Honda Mobility, and then in 2023 that newly formed brand revealed the Afeela 1 at CES, a prototype of the sedan it said would go on sale in the U.S. (and be built in the U.S.) starting in 2026. The production Afeela 1 was revealed the following year with a huge focus on tech but a blander overall design as Sony's original, and specs that weren't very competitive. It was hard to believe the car would ever happen, but now Sony Honda Mobility says the first trial production Afeela 1s have rolled off the line in Ohio. How many people will actually buy the expensive EV remains to be seen.

The Afeela 1 is manufactured at the same factory in East Liberty, Ohio, as the Honda CR-V and Acura RDX and MDX. Sony Honda Mobility says this is just a "trial production run" so far, part of the preparation for mass production. It's unclear whether these cars will be sold to real customers; I'm guessing they'll become press cars, test drive demos, or be sold to people within the company. (If you go to order an Afeela 1 on the SHM website, it says deliveries will start in mid 2026.)

Part of the Afeela's special part of the factory is what the company calls the Quality Gate, essentially a fancy multi-inspection area necessary because the Afeela has things like big screens, PlayStation Remote Play, 40 sensors and AI. Says SHM:

The Quality Gate facility is planning to conduct unique inspections from two primary perspectives to comprehensively guarantee AFEELA's quality:

• Function Inspection: In addition to traditional manufacturing quality, SHM will verify the operation of AFEELA's unique intelligent functions, including the in-vehicle Infotainment system, various sensors, and connectivity stability.
• Exterior Inspection: SHM will thoroughly verify the perfection of the exterior design that symbolizes the AFEELA brand. This involves precise inspection of design elements, including vehicle surface continuity, reflection uniformity, and accurate color.

Furthermore, Quality Gate serves as a feedback function for production quality stabilization. Various data collected at the facility will be fed back to SHM's vehicle design department and the manufacturing floor at Honda's East Liberty Auto Plant, contributing to the stabilization of AFEELA's production quality and continuous improvement.

That all sounds great, as the Afeela's exterior and interior design is so clean and simple that any build quality issues would really be noticeable. But does an ultra-high standard of quality really matter when the Afeela's specs are so disappointing, especially given its price? The first run of Afeela 1s coming in the middle of this year will be the Signature trim, starting at $102,900, while the cheaper Origin (seen above) will cost $89,900 when it goes on sale in 2027, and it ditches the rear entertainment system, has smaller wheels and only comes in black. And you can only buy the Afeela 1 if you live in California. The refundable reservation fee is $200, and by placing that reservation SHM says you represent that "you are a California resident, (ii) you will take delivery of your AFEELA in California, (iii) your AFEELA will be garaged in California, and (iv) your AFEELA will be titled and registered in California."

Yes, you get air suspension and a dual-motor all-wheel-drive setup with 483 horsepower, plus standard features like power closing doors, customizable exterior displays, a spatial sound system, hands-free Level 2 automated driving, and that dash-spanning infotainment system. But the Afeela 1's 91-kWh battery pack can only DC fast-charge at a maximum of 150 kW, and the EPA-estimated range is only 300 miles at most. That's just not good enough in 2026, where a $39,100 Hyundai Ioniq 5 has a longer range and more than double the charging speed. Give $90,000 to Lucid and you'll get an Air Touring that has a lot more power, 131 miles more range, 250-kW charging and a much better overall design; go for the $114,900 Air Grand Touring and you get almost double the power of the Afeela, a mega 512 miles of range and 300-kW fast-charging. And they're built in the U.S., too (albeit with more sinister backing).

Look, I'm not trying to be a hater here. I love the idea of a Sony car, especially one created in partnership with Honda, but this just isn't it. Despite being developed using "Gran Turismo" I can't imagine the Afeela 1 will be so incredible to drive or its interior experience that impressive for it to make sense over the ever-growing number of competitors. SHM has already teased an Afeela crossover, which should at least be more appealing to more Americans, and it's working on an affordable compact. Now that I'd like to see.