Sony's foray into electric cars, the Afeela 1, is now available to pre-order. Bookings are now open in California, with the Origin trim starting at US$89,900, and the Signature trim at US$102,900.
That's from the company's announcement at CES, where it revealed a close-to-final version of the car, about two years after it first unveiled the initial Afeela prototype. It's been working on this vehicle with Honda for five years now.
Having set the Afeela 1's pricing fairly high, Sony is vaulting past mid-range EV makers like Hyundai and Polestar, and going up against luxury options like the $80,000 Lucid Air, and Tesla's high-performance, 1,020 hp Model S Plaid. For its asking price, this fastback saloon gets a 482 hp (359 kW) all-wheel-drive powertrain. It's paired with a 91 kWh battery that's good for an EPA-estimated range of 300 miles (483 km). It'll also be compatible with Tesla's Supercharger network, and capable of 150 kW DC fast charging.
Take a look:
While it won't beat the competition on performance figures, Sony is betting on an assisted driving experience and in-car tech to woo customers. There's a total of 40 sensors and cameras for LIDAR-assisted Level 2+ ADAS features; the simulation video below details how the Afeela can identify empty spots in parking lots and streets, and automatically park itself.
You'll also be able to talk to AI-powered personal assistant, view maps and stream entertainment channels on the dashboard-length screen, and enjoy a quiet cabin thanks to active noise cancelation.
Sony says the Afeela's AI processing system can handle 800 trillion operations per second, paving the way for an eventual Level 3 ADAS functionality update sometime in the future – i.e. the car will handle all the driving, including safe overtakes, in specific conditions.
The Signature variant also gets two screens in the back for rear seat passengers to watch what they like. The speaker system is designed for surround sound, Sony's 360 Reality Audio, and Dolby Atmos.
Certain features – including the Intelligent Drive ADAS system, the Personal Agent, various entertainment options, interior themes and apparently even 5G connectivity – will annoyingly be paywalled behind a subscription package, which original buyers will get for free for the first three years. That won't affect the lease crowd, but it'll certainly impact resale value for outright buyers.
The Signature model gets 3 exterior paint options, and 2 interior options; the Origin is available only in black inside and out.
To be clear, you have to be a California resident to pre-order an Afeela at the moment, and put down a US$200 reservation fee online. Sony hasn't yet said when it'll take bookings from folks in the rest of the US. And you'll still be in for a wait: the higher-end Signature version won't ship until mid-2026, and the cheaper Origin will roll out in 2027. Hopefully you'll still appreciate its design at that point.
Source: Sony Honda Mobility
