CES 2026: Sony’s AFEELA 1 EV is again and street prepared

Sony Honda Mobility confirmed off the AFEELA 1 electrical car once more at CES this 12 months. If, like me, you noticed it final 12 months, the expertise will really feel very acquainted. Nonetheless, this is not essentially a nasty factor. The AFEELA 1 nonetheless seems polished, nonetheless leans arduous into its id as a rolling leisure hub, and nonetheless feels extra like a Sony product than a conventional automotive. What’s completely different is that this 12 months is much less about flashy new options and extra about refinement.

Sony Honda Mobility used its CES keynote to reiterate its imaginative and prescient of “mobility as a artistic leisure house,” positioning AFEELA 1 as a automotive constructed round time spent inside it, not simply getting from level A to level B. Sitting contained in the EV once more, that philosophy is clear. The panoramic dashboard show stays the centerpiece, spanning the complete cabin and serving as the first interface for navigation, media, and apps.

Alongside the AFEELA 1, Sony Honda Mobility additionally confirmed off a SUV-style prototype, dubbed AFEELA Prototype 2026. Regardless of its identify, the corporate says this prototype will possible attain manufacturing in 2028 on the earliest. It seemed to be basically the identical because the AFEELA 1, solely in SUV kind, although Sony Honda Mobility is remaining tight-lipped on additional particulars at this stage. We’ll simply have to attend to seek out out extra info on AFEELA 1’s youthful sibling because it will get nearer to manufacturing.

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Within the meantime, the AFEELA 1 has a lot to maintain us entertained — actually. One in all my private favourite options of the AFEELA 1 is its PlayStation Distant Play. When you already personal a PS5, you may stream video games to the rear seat shows utilizing a DualSense controller. I bought to check it for the primary time after it was teased final 12 months, and the connection wasn’t too unhealthy. Clearly, it was unable to stream in 4K, however there was no noticeable enter lag and it held up reliably even in a crowded demo setting. It’s nonetheless very a lot a “you already should be purchased into the PlayStation ecosystem” characteristic, nevertheless it works extra persistently now than it did earlier than.

The AI assistant, AFEELA, can also be again, and it’s nonetheless finest described as competent however unremarkable. Sony Honda Mobility frames it as a “private agent” powered by Microsoft Azure OpenAI, meant to assist pure dialog and personalization over time. In apply, it behaves like an ordinary in-car assistant. It will probably open apps, set locations, alter settings, and reply to fundamental contextual prompts. It complemented my shirt utilizing the cameras within the automotive, in order that was good.

The place the AFEELA 1 does really feel improved is within the fundamentals. The inside runs extra easily general, with sooner display responses and fewer hiccups when switching between apps. The cabin feels quieter and extra composed, and it is clear Sony Honda Mobility is prioritizing consolation and stability over experimental options.

That sense of polish additionally extends to how Sony Honda Mobility is positioning the AFEELA 1 as a productiveness house. Past leisure, the automotive helps apps like Zoom, letting you are taking video calls from contained in the cabin. The digital camera angle is a bit off, so bear in mind that you could be not look your finest when it is on. They demoed it for us, and the digital camera was extensive sufficient to seize the whole thing of the automotive, quite than framing you want a laptop computer webcam.

All of this refinement comes at a premium. The AFEELA 1 is priced beginning at $89,900, with greater trims exceeding $100,000, firmly putting it within the luxurious EV territory. At that worth, one’s expectation must be greater than simply having the ability to operate correctly. Nonetheless, this 12 months’s demo suggests Sony Honda Mobility is specializing in getting the basics proper earlier than hitting California’s roads later this 12 months.

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