We still have yet to see the first Afeela actually make a production launch, but Sony and Honda aren’t stopping with just one model.
CES 2026 is in full swing in Las Vegas. While most of the debuts center around tech, with AI playing an even larger role, there are some nuts-and-bolts car reveals to discuss. That includes Sony Honda Mobility with the Afeela Prototype 2026 SUV, a logical follow-up to the upcoming Afeela 1 sedan.
Of course, given the venue and general vibe of up-and-coming car makers, both the Afeela 1 and Prototype 2026 aren’t “cars” as such. They’re a “creative entertainment space”, Sony Honda Mobility says, with much of the focus being on the how developers can approach Afeela’s technology, rather than the technical specs of the car or SUV itself.
Afeela is pitching Level 2+ semi-autonomous driving at launch (hands-off, eyes-on), with eventual Level 4 “equivalent” capability. Down the line, the brand aims to have its vehicles be more or less autonomous without human intervention, so occupants can focus on entertainment. Part of that entertainment includes the Afeela “personal agent”, a conversational AI-based system using OpenAI aimed at “enhancing the relationship between people and mobility to make it more personal”.
The company also outlined its plan for developers and creators to jump in on personalizing the owner’s experience, including in-car themes, decorations and apps. One of those creators is Japanese producer Tomoko Ida, who demonstrated three unique sounds she created for the electric motor that the Afeela 1 can make during acceleration.
Both the Afeela 1 and production version of the 2026 Prototype SUV will use a token-based incentive model build around cryptocurrency. In the process, crypto technologies will use an “x-to-earn” concept for incentivize developers to focus on work around mobility services to “accelerate co-creation”.
Ok, when will the cars actually arrive?
As far as the existing Afeela 1 sedan is concerned, there hasn’t been too much change since the last times we’ve seen various prototypes roll out into the public sphere. When it does go on sale later this year, that car should cost around $89,900 to start. That sort of price tag won’t make Sony Honda Mobility’s joint venture a high-volume one at first, though the automaker seems perfectly content to be have a “niche” standing where the technology and co-creative development approach is the core focus.
Any car business needs to shift some units to survive, however, and that’s the SUV will ultimately come in. Sony Honda Mobility says that, after launching deliveries in California this year, it will expand into Arizona in 2027. The U.S.-market launch of the production-spec SUV based on the Afeela Prototype 2026 is slated for sometime in calendar year 2028, at least according to the company’s current roadmap.
Despite Sony and Honda both being Japanese companies, top brass within the Afeela business insist the brand will primarily be focused on the American market. It does not currently have plans to expand to Europe, though it may sell a limited number of vehicles in Japan. We will have to wait and see there.
