What is the Sony Honda Mobility Afeela 1?
The Honda & Sony Afeela 1 (pronounced Ah-Feel-a) is the first of several proposed vehicles coming from the two companies' recent partnership. After doing some research, the best way to describe the Afeela 1 is that it's like an EV met a cellphone, with a heap of video gamer details, wrapped in an audiophile shell.That's a bit much, so let me break it down for you. Placed on top of a 91 kWh battery, the all-wheel drive (AWD) Afeela 1 should be able to join the 300-mile-range club. It should make approximately 480 horsepower from its two 180 kW electric motors and will have a NACS-capable charger that will run up to 150 kW with DC fast charging. Factory air-ride suspension will be standard, as well.
The whole thing is wrapped in a simple yet attractive package that makes it look like something BYD would build—which is not a bad thing. It straddles the size of a Tesla Model S and Model 3, and Sony Honda stated that it will be built at Honda's upcoming EV Hub in Ohio in 2026.
So far, the Afeela 1 seems kind of "meh" right? Well, that is about to change. You see, Sony Honda built this to be an electronic oasis, if you will. It's a place where you can play PlayStation games, watch movies, interact with the latest AI, and hear sound like never before.
The vehicle's built-in AI will learn your likes, dislikes, moods, idiosyncrasies, and more, with enough computing power to make this car an artificial companion of sorts. It looks like the builders want you to spend a LOT of your time in this vehicle.
The Sony Honda Afeela 1 is supposed to support level III autonomous driving, meaning it should be able to get you to some destinations without much user input. This usually indicates that the setup can navigate larger roads and highways, while you have to man the controls when in congested or uncharted areas.Speaking of piloting, Honda Sony fell into the trap of using a yoke instead of something resembling a steering wheel. That's no bueno for many consumers, not to mention that the steering wheel sits next to multiple massive screens spanning the length of the dashboard.
While the dimensions have yet to be released, the Afeela will likely feature a 12-ish-inch cluster screen combined with one or two companion screens for infotainment and passenger entertainment.
The rear passengers get their own sizable infotainment screens on the back of the front seats' headrests, and a reasonably sized rear seat as well.
The Sony Honda Afeela 1 is set to have a price tag of around $90,000. That puts it in a fairly premium segment of the EV segment where it will compete with models from well-established brands.
Honda isn't exactly known for premium vehicles either, and Sony is a newcomer in the automotive space. Whether the promise of cutting edge entertainment in your car is enough to woo customers remains to be seen.
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