Honda and Sony’s electric saloon is now available to order… for $89k

Remember Sony’s plans to build an all-electric saloon car? Well, they’re about to become a reality, because the swoopy Afeela 1 you see above has just opened for pre-orders in California, with deliveries expected to begin in mid-2026.

Need a quick history lesson? Sony was originally founded in 1946 as Tokyo Tsushin Kogyo. It went through the Walkman and the Discman, and in 1994 it introduced the first ever PlayStation. It also released a range of robot dogs between 1999 and 2006, and yep, now it’s building cars.

Not on its own of course. Sony originally showed off its Vision-S concept car in January 2020, but things got real when it signed a memorandum of understanding with Honda in 2022 and formed Sony Honda Mobility (SHM).

In 2023, SHM announced that its cars would be marketed under the Afeela brand, and we now know this first car will be inventively titled… 1.

It’ll be available in two trim levels – Origin and Signature. The former will be the entry level option, with prices starting at $89,900. The top spec Signature will set you back $102,900 but gets things like 21in wheels, extra screens for rear seat passengers and extra cameras. A fully refundable $200 reservation fee is all you’ll need to pay to get your name on the list for now.

There aren’t many tech specs available just yet, but expect it to use Honda hardware underneath for the motoring bits. It’ll all be put together at a plant in Ohio and we do know that it gets an EPA estimated range of 300 miles, although there’s no word on battery capacity or power outputs from the electric motors.

SHM has said the Afeela 1 uses 40 different sensors to enable autonomous driving and to run its supremely fancy advanced driver assistance systems. It also gets a ‘Media Bar’ that can display messages on the front bumper and “enables seamless communication between drivers, passengers, and even people outside the vehicle, adding a new dimension of enjoyment to public spaces". We can’t see any issues there if it goes on sale in the UK. No siree. The Media Bar can also display your charge status or show off ‘digital stickers’, and there are plans for the car to be able to display weather, traffic updates and even sports results. Interesting.

As expected, the interior is chock full of tech. A panoramic screen stretches across the dash and combines with Sony’s surround sound and noise cancelling technology. Oh, and there’s a yoke. Uh oh.

Still, the fancy 3D maps and Unreal Engine-powered animations should keep you distracted from the (lack of a) steering wheel, though be warned - the AI-enabled personal assistant in the car is able to have ‘natural conversations’ and will even initiate chats when you’re minding your own business. Apparently, around 70 per cent of the interior is made from plant-derived or recycled materials, and Sony has partnered with a number of big-name firms to bring specific apps and entertainment to the Afeela 1.

Reckon your next car might be built by the same people who made your games console?