Sony and Honda used the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas to show off the Afeela 1 EV, which is the jointly-developed Sony Honda Mobility vehicle meant to compete with highly connected cars from China and Tesla. Instead, the company showed us an expensive sedan with performance specs you wouldn’t accept on a Hyundai that costs half as much. What’s going on here?
There’s no denying that this Japanese-developed sedan expected to be built in Ohio is tech-rich. It comes with a suite of 40 different sensors for advanced driver assistance system operation, spatial audio, a panoramic screen in the dashboard, and power-operated doors.
Here’s how the company describes some of the features:
The cabin of AFEELA 1 is designed with the concept of “Mobility as a Creative Entertainment Space.” Each occupant can enjoy a variety of apps and content provided by entertainment partners through an optimized, unique sound system and displays by seat. Sony Honda Mobility’s proprietary noise-canceling technology and expertise provides an overwhelming sense of quietness. The optimally placed speakers featuring Sony’s 360 Spatial Sound Technologies offer an high-quality audio experience with immersive sound. SHM is working on creating unique entertainment experiences using driving and vehicle data through collaborations with external creators and developers.
Also, it has an Unreal game engine so you can, I guess, play Gran Tursimo when you don’t feel like driving.
That all sounds moderately impressive, but the Afeela 1 is a car first and foremost, and it seems to be coming up short on fundamentals.
Under the floorpan of the Afeela 1, you’ll find a 91 kWh battery pack, a 241-horsepower front motor, and a 241-horsepower rear motor. Combine that with the low-slung silhouette of a sedan, and you end up with an estimated 300 miles of range. Alright, why so little? When a cheaper and more powerful Lucid Air Touring offers 406 miles of range, and many competitors offer more than 300 miles of range, an even 300 miles of range feels disappointing. Oh, and that’s only the start.
Okay, so the range might be disappointing, but at least the Afeela 1 charges slowly. A peak DC fast charging rate of 150 kW is, well, swell for a $40,000 EV, but almost everything in this price bracket charges faster. Even the onboard Level 2 AC charger only clocks in at 11 kW, and that’s just not cutting edge.
So, for $89,900, you must be okay with black paint and a black interior, but it’s okay because this thing has an auto-dimming rearview mirror. If you want a shade other than black, along with stuff like rear seat entertainment, you’d need to step up to the Afeela 1 Signature, which stickers for a whopping $102,990. Yeah, six figures for a car with the powertrain specs of a $45,000 car.
Comparing the Afeela 1 to rivals, it doesn’t fare so well on price.
A Lucid Air Touring specced up with the 32-sensor DreamDrive Pro advanced driver assistance system suite, the glass roof, and the 21-speaker Dolby Atmos audio system costs just $1,400 more than the base Afeela 1, but it sports an extra 106 miles of range, boasts 620 horsepower, can dash from zero-to-60 mph in 3.4 seconds, and can hit peak DC fast charging speeds of more than 300 kW. Don’t need all that power? A similarly optioned Lucid Air Pure stickers for $77,800, some $12,100 less than the Afeela 1.
In the mood for something Korean? The Genesis G80 Electrified is fantastic, and a loaded example stickers for $79,775. Sure, a range of 282 miles is even less than that of the Afeela 1, but the G80 Electrified looks expensive, and it can DC fast charge at up to 233 kW, so it should get you back on the road faster when range runs out.
What’s more, the top trim level is in spitting distance of the BMW i7 eDrive50, and while you will need to spend some more bones to get the theater screen and other toys in the i7, it’s a Nimitz-class monolith for accelerationist plutocrats. It’s platinum-dipped sumptuous, and upholstered like a sex dungeon, and it causes people who can’t spend six figures on a luxury sedan to recoil in fear as it drives past.
Meanwhile, the Afeela 1 looks like what would happen if you asked Dall-e to conjure up the illegitimate child of a broom closet affair between a Lucid Air and a 1987 Mercury Sable. People shopping in this segment want presence, and the Afeela 1 just doesn’t have the presence of a BMW i7.
So, who is the Afeela 1 for? My colleague Matt Hardigree kindly pointed out that this is the four-wheeled equivalent of one of those $900 Walkmans. Walkmen? Potato, potato. The thing is, you don’t have to crash test a Walkman, nor do you need to do EPA range testing. Compared to, I don’t know, a car, a Walkman doesn’t carry nearly the same development and homologation costs, so that model probably doesn’t translate to luxury sedans.
Anyway, reservations are open. I’m sure this’ll make current Acura RLX Sport Hybrid owners happy. All seven of them.
Photos: SHM unless otherwise noted
What a yoke! I’m just not a-feelin’ it.
Cue the Ren and Stimpy show: http://www.quickmeme.com/img/66/668f2c316d8211506929d9c3d3a2a2f3d65f130d512411d186520e34d559dce7.jpg
Afeela magonna see lots of these gathering dust on the dealer’s lots.
They must have hired the guy who named the bZ4X to name it, and an executive from DeBeers to set the prices.
Plus, that has to be the worst name ever. It sounds like some sort of prescription skin treatment for a rash:
Beat me to it!
Don’t drive Afeela if you are alergic to Afeela.
Nah this looks more like an anal leakage warning.
Talk to your doctor if you are already taking Stellantis, as this may result in complications.
Don’t forget “may cause death.”
Wow I completely forgot this was a thing. And I still don’t know why it’s a thing
Did the Lucid Air ever have a waiting list? If they did, then boy howdy, the Afeela would have made the perfect car for someone with more money than patience to buy as a tide-me-over while they were waiting for their Lucid to arrive.
Outside of that use case, I’m failing to see how they’re going to move more than about a dozen of these before they’ll need to chop the price in half.
Another pointless bandwagon EV to try to get those Tesla stock prices…side note as part of their marketing scheme they added this thing into Gran Turismo 7
I think they’re chasing after the Xiaomi SU7 more than anything else
Afeela like this isn’t going to sell very well. Do you feel the same?
Maybe they can get Peter Frampton to come alive and Afeela like I do?
ok so checking off the list-
Can we ask the question, as well, of “why a sedan?” too?
Seems they’d get better traction if it came in as a lux midsized SUV within the American market.
The answer should’ve been “to use the better aerodynamics to get good range out of a reasonably sized battery for the debut model”. Somehow, they only managed to 300mi out of 91kWh, which is worse efficiency than most 2-row crossover EVs.
I was gonna try to be clever, but Afeela snooze coming on.
Seriously though, if you gave me 100k and told me to buy a new EV, I’d get a Lucid and not think twice about it. I can’t imagine they’re going to sell more than a handful of these, if any. As much as Monique hates driving, I wouldn’t even get to play Gran Turismo in this thing except parked outside someone else’s house.
You can already play Doom on a Honda. Has technology gone too far?
On the bright side you do have gran tourismo for when you want something exciting to drive
I didn’t get to set that up on mine before it was totaled, sadly. Not that I’d have played it much, but just for the novelty.
There’s a lot of Lucid styling here, but I suspect it’s not built to the same level or with comparable materials.
I don’t really understand how they think headrest monitors is something worth bringing back. Between tablets and phones, every passenger already has the ability to control their own in-car entertainment.
I feel like this collaboration is more about somehow using Sony’s media catalog as a thing car buyers will shop for. I’m not sure that’s going to happen.
As little as I trust the intrusive remotely-controlled and monitored electronics from other manufacturers, I trust it from Sony even less. They have repeatedly gone to extremes (like voluntarily not selling an ipod killer years before Apple released their device or shipping music CDs with a computer virus) to protect their media rights.
I don’t want to have to jailbreak my car to play non-Sony media.
Given Sony’s anti-consumer history, this stupid thing will probably not be able to connect to anything that isn’t another Sony product. Remember how their cameras would ONLY work with their proprietary memory cards (that literally no other manufacturer used)? Their laptops had special components that were Sony-specific?
I am old enough to remember when Sony was special; their TVs were the best, their audio equipment was impressive, their portable electronics were the envy of everyone.
What the hell are they now? I think they make a very good set of earbuds and a high-quality set of noise cancelling (wired) earphones.
I have no idea who this car is for given Sony’s current reputation and how far they’ve fallen from their former level of prestige.
They also make mediocre Marvel movies as they try to make bank on their Spider-Man license; Morbius and Madame Web say hi. Buy an Afeela and get a free Playstation 5 with a complimentary 1 month subscription to Sony Pictures Core*.
*I wasn’t even aware they had a streaming service until I Googled it, but I assumed they must have one as a media conglomerate. I mean we live in a world where Discovery networks had a streaming service so you can stream House Hunters 24/7.
Or as I just found out to my shock after finally acquiring a PS5 apparently the only bluetooth headphones its compatible with are select Playstation ones-like what year is it 1995??
I remember the DRM magic sticks. What a desperate idea.
They tanked their consumer electronics because of their media portfolio. If they’re searching for a way back into consumer electronics, this car won’t do it.
Yeah, their release mentions “apps and content provided by partners” which may as well just say “Sony.”
Serious answer: they’re primarily in the content production business now. I think their stock is actually doing okay because of all their movies, ip, video game stuff.
But yeah, the days when you’d walk into a United Audio and lust over their walkmens and tvs are done.
I bought a super-high spec Sony VAIO laptop when CompUSA went under. I worked next to one of their stores and visited daily to track their closeout discounts. I still paid $2300 or so in 2008.
That thing barely lasted past its warranty.
Most of my Lenovo ThinkPads are still operational. Obsolete as they may be, but they still ran.
I’m pretty sure I still have ancient IBM Thinkpads in a drawer or branded laptop bag that I could fire up today if I really wanted to play with Windows XP.
I bought a high-mid grade Sony Bravia LED TV at Worst Buy in ~’17 IIRC. Still working but has inexplicable pixel rot on 3 of the 4 corners. And randomly reboots every 6-8 months, though I think that is an Android TV issue.
Been lusting after their OLED TV’s at Costco, but I just cannot justify their outrageous prices. Not really sure with whom I will go with for my next TV.
The stupid memory card games of their first digital cameras is what turned me anti-sony. We’ve been a sony-free household for 20+ years now, it’s not hard when they hate you so much.
But if I had $100k and the desire for a crappy EV, I would spend $10k on therapy to get over it and then go spend $40k on an EV that’s better than this.
I think my last Sony item was a home theater receiver (4.1, I guess, no center channel). It may still be in the garage – died a very long time ago.
I do agree with the sentiment expressed elsewhere in the thread about the solid-ness of their earlier high-end products. Those expensive Walkmen were just awesome to hold in your hand. They felt great to hold, the buttons felt precise and it was solid without an ounce of fat.
It isn’t a flaw it’s a feature. So rare no one will steal it. Nothing but Sony hook ups keeps the kids away. Y’all just took negative.
Don’t worry, it has a proprietary Memory Stick slot to play all your songs/videos on the go!
FYI: It’s not yet in the employee discount store.
Afeela? WOOT COMING ON!
Too low-brow?
Get thee to a nunnery!
Oh it will be features on WOOT! soon enough at a discount. LOL.
The rear shot gives me a bit of Eagle Talon vibes, and I’m not mad at it.
It was giving me SVX for some reason.
https://assets.dyler.com/uploads/posts/108/images/1731/subaru-svx.jpg
https://images-stag.jazelc.com/uploads/theautopian-m2en/AFEELA_1_Signature_Calm_White_rear-Large.jpeg
yes!
Yeah, I got strong DSM vibes as well.
I see that or a Ford Probe
I’m Afeelin like this is DOA, if it even arrives in the first place. Minus the ricer roof scope housing a LIDAR system, I like the simpler exterior that’s not as overdesigned and confusing as a lot of current vehicles. It does scream Honda in its design cues so a shameless badge swap back to Honda should be doable imo.
That interior on the otherhand…why someone thought “my steering wheel club was cut off” is a good idea is beyond me. But this is the “lets reinvent door handles” era so I’m not too surprised.
I am surprised the article doesn’t talk about that interior more, and specifically the steering yoke. Even Tesla figured out that nobody wants a yoke. Also, it looks dark and boring, “50 shades of gray” plastics.
The yoke is at least slightly defendable here because a full steering wheel would block the screens, which you’re supposed to be watching while the car drives itself. Still shouldn’t have left the concept car though.
I see your point, but Honda knows how to design a dash so you can see the gauges through the wheel. Just don’t put important stuff on the screen where the wheel blocks it.
I kinda a like it, but a shame it’s not branded Sony or Honda. It’d be interested in both, but not in something with the name of a s*xtoy. How about the “Playstation Car” or the “Sony Carman”?
Seriously, those are both strong brands, why did they have to create a new one? This isn’t China, you don’t need to launch an all new brand every time you launch a new car. Sell it as a Sony or a Honda, or a Sony-Honda, or use SHM.
..or better yet, S&M
🙂
And when it’s still vaporware in a few years we can ask “Where in the World is Carman? San Diego?”
Or better yet, the next model could be called the Carman Electra!
[Professional Sony and and Honda brand managers] “Oh, HELL no, you take our name out of your mouth this instant!”
Sony Silhouette by Honda.
Given that the only pure EV that Honda cells is made by GM, I have to wonder if the Afeela was just a way to have someone else (Sony) help bankroll the development of a Honda EV? The overly long gestation time wouldn’t seem too out of place if the Afeela was meant as an engineering testbed rather than an actual consumer product (at which point, selling enough to make a profit would just be icing on the cake).
Step 1: Use Sony money to make EV platform
Step 2: Pull out 90% of the “connected mobility” crap from Sony to reduce cost
Step 3: Minor revisions and sell as the 2027 Acura ZLX or something like that
Step 4: Profit?
Afeela disappointed.
Must say that there’s something really weird going on with the EV naming policies. Must they be so shitty.
But for half of the price, the afeela might be a decent car.
The whole of auto marketing industry seems to be taking LSD. This, the toyo/subi BZ4X (or whatever it is) the jag rebrand etc…
“Afeela”? Why didn’t they just name it “The Fondler”?
Will the Police Package be called “Cop Afeela”?
That’ll also be the commercial/white panel van version.
People don’t recoil in fear from i7’s, they are trying not to lose their lunch after catching a glimpse of the front end.
Scrolling down to that i7 pic while reading this was like a jump scare in a horror movie.
It certainly highlights how clean the Lucid looks and how handsome the Genesis is. It’s like that SNL Lawrence Welk sketch where the all the female singers do their bit and then “AnD I’m DoOneEsE!!!” pops out. Yeaaaagh, gross!
https://youtu.be/Y18hfDuOC6k?list=PL1T1ZBvdX0EuwUne8_cKgeJS7PaM6w6mJ&t=83
It’s a Sony Honda product, so it’ll either last for ever and be a somehow better to drive than everything in it’s class and eventually be a top seller, or the first ones will have tremendous issues and in several years, they’ll somehow keep making new ones and people will be surprised that they still make them.
You really don’t need more than 11kW for Level 2 AC because you are limited to your AC panel at the house. 11kW is about ~45A then you add about 20% for safety for your fuse. That’s already more than 50A fuse you can typically get.
There is such a thing as a 100 amp breaker that allows for 80 amp charging. It does not even take up more space in the panel than the 50 amp breaker, but requires thicker wires. Cars like the Cadillac Lyriq can charge at 19.2 kw when the wall charger is properly installed.
Sure. But for a 91kWh pack – kind of overkill.
The lyriq is 103kWh, so not even that much more. Not many people will pay the extra money to be able to fully charge in 5 hours at their house with no other features, but for both Ford and GM I believe only the 80 amp charger allows for automatic home backup.
Our lyriq has the 19.2kw, we live in a condo in nyc but my parents up north got a charger installed for when we visit and they did the 100amp breaker and were shocked at how much the wiring cost. I told them not to but my dad wants “only the best” for my wife lol.
It’s not worth it, but hey now that it’s installed it does indeed charge much faster.
100 amp breaker requires 2/0 AWG copper wires. This is a larger size than 2 AWG. Probably looking a $15 per foot.
Yeah they just let an electrician handle it but it was like 600 or 700 bucks in wire and they were surprised. Copper is expensive, I get why people steal it.
I’ve only seen GM offer optional 19kW AC charging in the US market.
Yes it is an option, but on the Silverado it is standard at all but the lowest trim. It is not offered on the Equinox. If you want to use your Equinox to power your home in a power outtage, this requires installing the 19kW charger in the garage even though the car has no way to charge that fast.
To paraphrase yesterday’s Morning Dump, “Honda/Sony has lost the plot.”
Betamax
Minidisk
Afeela
When will you learn, Sony?
Not gonna disprove those old losses, but the more recent BluRay vs HD DVD war was won by Sony
None of that means this thing is gonna sell against Lucid or Tesla’s offerings
At least Honda didn’t get on the stupid hydrogen bandwagon with the Toyota drunks