SONY

Sony Honda Mobility Inc. (SHM) is a mobility technology enterprise jointly established by Sony Group and Honda Motor Co., Ltd. in 2022. Headquartered in Tokyo, Japan, the company has a registered capital of 10 billion yen, with each party holding a 50% stake. The brand is positioned around "Mobility Entertainment Space," integrating Sony's technical advantages in imaging, audio, gaming, and smart interaction with Honda's mature vehicle manufacturing capabilities, and is dedicated to creating "high-end smart electric mobility products." The Afeela series under the brand originally planned to launch a pure electric sedan and a pure electric crossover SUV, but due to Honda's electrification strategy adjustment, all model development and launch plans have been terminated. Sony expects that the termination of this project will not have a material impact on its financial status.

Development History

Sony's automotive journey began in January 2020, when the Vision-S concept car was unveiled at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES), embedding audio-visual and gaming technology deeply into the car cockpit for the first time and lifting the curtain on "Mobility Entertainment." In January 2022, Sony released the Vision-S 02 SUV concept car at CES and announced the establishment of a pure electric strategy division — Sony Mobility Inc. In March of the same year, it reached a strategic cooperation agreement with Honda, and in September, the Sony Honda Mobility joint venture company was formally established. Takehide Mizuno, former Head of Honda China, was appointed Chairman and CEO, while Sony Mobility President and CEO Izumi Kawanishi was appointed President and COO.

In January 2023, SHM officially launched its new brand "AFEELA" at CES, with the prototype car appearing the same year. In January 2025, the first mass-produced model, the Afeela 1, was unveiled at CES and pre-orders were opened. In August of the same year, the vehicle began pre-production at the East Liberty Plant in Ohio, USA, entering the final testing stage before mass production. In January 2026, the second prototype vehicle — the Afeela Prototype 2026 pure electric crossover SUV — was unveiled at CES. However, just two months later, the darkest days arrived when Honda released the most severe performance warning in its history on March 12 (with a net loss for the year expected to be as high as 420 billion to 690 billion yen, the first annual loss in nearly 70 years since its listing). On March 25, 2026, SHM officially announced the termination of development and production of all Afeela series projects, and pre-order customers received full refunds.

Product Portfolio

The Afeela series includes two models from the terminated project.

• Afeela 1 (full-size pure electric luxury sedan): Length, width, and height are 4,915 × 1,900 × 1,460 mm, with a wheelbase exceeding 3,000 mm. It adopts a dual-motor four-wheel-drive layout, with a maximum power of 480 horsepower and a top speed of 240 km/h. Two configurations are offered: the Origin version priced at $89,900 and the Signature version at $102,900. The Signature version was originally planned to be delivered first in Japan and California, USA, in mid-2026, with the Origin version postponed to 2027.

• Afeela Prototype 2026 (pure electric crossover coupe SUV): First debuted at the 2026 CES show, continuing the Afeela 1 family design with a two-tone body, fastback styling, and flush door handles.

Market Performance

The brand has no sales records to date, as it remained in the pre-order stage. According to SHM's financial report disclosed for fiscal year 2025 (as of March 2026), the joint venture's operating loss for that year was as high as 52 billion yen (approximately $362 million), double the 20.5 billion yen loss of the same period last year. As of the time of publication, parent company Sony Group's stock price showed no significant fluctuation due to the cancellation of the joint venture's car manufacturing project.

Core Technology

The Afeela 1 planned to be equipped with 40 environmental perception sensors, integrating LiDAR, radar, and multi-angle camera solutions. Its infotainment chip boasts computing power of up to 800 TOPS. In terms of entertainment, it was the world's first brand to integrate the PlayStation Remote Play function (allowing users to seamlessly stream PS4 or PS5 games via the vehicle's center console screen), providing mobile entertainment scenarios for passengers when the vehicle is parked or when fully autonomous driving is realized in the future. The vehicle was equipped with a 91 kWh lithium battery pack and 150 kW DC fast charging, with a CLTC range of approximately 620 km. The smart cockpit featured an ultra-wide center console screen and digital side mirrors, deeply integrating the Qualcomm Snapdragon Digital Chassis and Microsoft Azure OpenAI intelligent voice assistant. At the same time, interactive color light strips with dynamic media bars were integrated into the front and rear of the body, allowing customizable animations such as "heart gestures" and "fireworks" to be displayed for human-machine interaction and emotional expression.

Global Presence

The overseas market sales strategy was planned around two strongholds: North America and Japan. The first stop was originally fixed on California, USA, with sales conducted through a direct sales model. However, due to the California New Car Dealers Association filing a lawsuit in August 2025 alleging violations of franchise law, the direct sales plan was blocked. In addition, the Afeela 1 itself was originally planned to be produced at Honda's Ohio plant, sharing the manufacturing line with the Acura ZDX, but capacity was forced to be interrupted due to the latter's production halt. The brand never disclosed its market plans for mainland China.

Future Outlook