The upcoming AFEELA EV, a joint effort between Sony and Honda, is now accessible for viewing to the general public in Los Angeles, prematurely of its scheduled California launch in 2026.
We first heard about Sony’s upcoming EV again at CES 2020, the place the corporate introduced a shock EV idea which, frankly, we by no means thought would occur.
Quick ahead to now, and after loads of developments and a partnership with Honda, Sony is now promising that the car shall be accessible subsequent yr – in California, at the very least. It lately began taking $200 reservations, although these are restricted to California solely in the interim.
Upfront of this launch, Sony Honda Mobility (SHM) is now exhibiting the automotive to the general public, in what has develop into a well-liked technique for EV makers (ever since Tesla and George Blankenship pioneered it): opening a mall location.
That spot is correct within the coronary heart of the place the AFEELA EV could be the most well-liked – Century Metropolis, a neighborhood of Los Angeles with an extended historical past of attachment to the film business, on the Westfield Century Metropolis mall on Santa Monica Blvd.
The studio opened to the general public this weekend, and shall be open for the following six months (till August 1). The general public can come round at any time and take a look on the car and ask questions, or can guide a demo of the automotive’s inside and applied sciences (however no take a look at drives but, although).
We beforehand had an opportunity to get palms on with the AFEELA prototype on the similar mall, although that was at a short lived sales space reasonably than a devoted house. It was stuffed with fairly a number of neat options, however there was nonetheless loads of work to be accomplished.
As a reminder, SHM lately introduced a $89,900 base worth for the AFEELA, although left the door open for extra subscription charges for some options after an preliminary 3-year interval. The primary accessible trim stage, the AFEELA 1 Signature, will begin at $102,900.
So, when you’d wish to test it out for your self and are in Southern California, you may head on over any time, or guide a time slot prematurely for an in-car demonstration.
Electrek’s Take
I’ve been impressed with the maturity of the tempo of Sony’s bulletins with this car. Whereas it appeared just a little pie-in-the-sky initially after they introduced the idea, yearly they’ve refined it and have principally refrained from making unrealistic guarantees or loopy timelines, not like another EV startups on the market.
That’s, till final yr, after they joined the AI buzzword bandwagon, which appeared like a complete waste of time. Plus, the latest announcement of a $90k base worth and extra suggestion of long-term subscription charges for characteristic use was not nice to listen to – however that hasn’t been finalized but, so we’ll need to see precisely the place issues go from right here.
There does nonetheless appear to be loads of work to do over the course of the following yr earlier than the AFEELA’s “mid-2026” launch, however issues do factor to be progressing at an inexpensive tempo
And, oddly sufficient, regardless of its late entry to the EV market, that is nonetheless going to be one of many first Japanese EVs accessible within the US. Toyota has the bZ4X (and the derivate Lexus RZ and Subaru Solterra), Nissan has the Leaf and Ariya, and Honda has the Prologue (and Acura ZDX) – which is made in partnership with GM. In the meantime, an organization identified for its client leisure merchandise goes to leap into the pack with the remainder of its nation’s auto business – by constructing a ground-up EV earlier than a few of its countrymen did so.
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