Sony Honda Mobility’s Afeela Prototype 2026 puts an SUV spin on its too-familiar sedan at CES

Last twelvemonth successful Las Vegas astatine CES 2025, Sony Honda Mobility displayed yet different revision of its now-familiar yet still-unreleased Afeela 1 sedan. With a starting value of $89,900 and a maximum scope of 300 miles, it didn't look for illustration a awesome worth proposition. 12 months later, nan mathematics still hasn't changed, but would-be buyers now person a somewhat taller action to consider.

Meet nan Afeela Prototype 2026, a type of nan Afeela 1 sedan that's been up-scaled to amended suit American SUV proclivities. It offers a c transcript of nan smaller Afeela's understated styling, including nan external, nose-mounted LCD, and is owed "as early arsenic 2028."

That's codification for "2029 is astir apt much likely" and is, sadly, each we cognize astir nan point for now.

And what astir nan Afeela 1? Shugo Yamaguchi, president and CEO of Sony Honda Mobility of America, confirmed that it's still connected way for a merchandise this year, still priced astatine $90,000 to start, and still group to beryllium built astatine Honda's Ohio factory. That past spot is peculiarly bully news, arsenic nan world tariff business has been rather fluid since we saw nan sedan past year.

Unfortunately, nan remainder of nan Afeela 1's halfway attributes haven't aged truthful well, peculiarly fixed it's intended to entreaty to an increasingly skeptical American market, a business that has driven Honda to dial down its ain US EV aspirations. 300 miles of scope is an progressively middling figure, particularly for a instrumentality priced wrong spitting region of a Porsche Taycan.

To make nan Afeela 1 compelling, Sony Honda Mobility is leaning into nan tech play, launching pinch an precocious hands-off, eyes-on driver assistance strategy (a la GM's Super Cruise). Thanks to nan beauty of over-the-air updates, nan Afeela 1 will yet connection Level 4 autonomy, leaning connected a bevy of integrated sensors, including a roof-mounted LIDAR pod. That would theoretically mean you could thrust successful Gran Turismo 7 while your car drove you to work.

At launch, though, nan driver will only beryllium capable to play GT and different PlayStation games while nan car is parked, acknowledgment to built-in Remote Play functionality. Beyond gaming, Sony is building retired a broad group of APIs that will alteration third-party developers to create immersive in-cabin experiences, including civilization gauge clusters and infotainment skins. All that will beryllium tally connected a Qualcomm Snapdragon Digital Chassis, pinch capable powerfulness to grip some nan evolving progressive information and infotainment duties.

That each sounds fun, but nan bad news is that would-be buyers are going to person to hold a small longer to commencement customising their rides. Production connected nan Afeela 1 has slipped, and it will not vessel to nan first customers until nan very extremity of 2026. Those customers will person to beryllium successful California, arsenic that's nan only authorities wherever nan sedan will beryllium for sale. Arizona will travel next, sometime successful 2027, but cipher astatine Sony Honda Mobility will opportunity which authorities will get nan adjacent wound of this apple, aliases when.

Will it beryllium worthy nan wait? We'll circle backmost later pinch much elaborate impressions from wrong this year's loop of nan Afeela 1.