The upcoming AFEELA EV, a joint effort between Sony and Honda, is now obtainable for viewing to the general public in Los Angeles, prematurely of its scheduled California launch in 2026.
We first heard about Sony’s upcoming EV again at CES 2020, the place the corporate introduced a shock EV idea which, frankly, we by no means thought would occur.
Quick ahead to now, and after lots of developments and a partnership with Honda, Sony is now promising that the car will likely be obtainable subsequent yr – in California, at the least. It not too long ago began taking $200 reservations, although these are restricted to California solely in the interim.
Prematurely of this launch, Sony Honda Mobility (SHM) is now exhibiting the automotive to the general public, in what has grow to be a well-liked technique for EV makers (ever since Tesla and George Blankenship pioneered it): opening a mall location.
That spot is true within the coronary heart of the place the AFEELA EV is perhaps the preferred – Century Metropolis, a neighborhood of Los Angeles with a protracted historical past of attachment to the film trade, on the Westfield Century Metropolis mall on Santa Monica Blvd.
The studio opened to the general public this weekend, and will likely be open for the subsequent six months (till August 1). The general public can come round at any time and take a look on the car and ask questions, or can e book a demo of the automotive’s inside and applied sciences (however no take a look at drives but, although).
We beforehand had an opportunity to get arms on with the AFEELA prototype on the similar mall, although that was at a brief sales space moderately than a devoted area. It was filled with fairly a number of neat options, however there was nonetheless lots of work to be carried out.
As a reminder, SHM not too long ago introduced a $89,900 base value for the AFEELA, although left the door open for added subscription charges for some options after an preliminary 3-year interval. The primary obtainable trim stage, the AFEELA 1 Signature, will begin at $102,900.
So, should you’d prefer to test it out for your self and are in Southern California, you’ll be able to head on over any time, or e book a time slot prematurely for an in-car demonstration.
Electrek’s Take
I’ve been impressed with the maturity of the tempo of Sony’s bulletins with this car. Whereas it appeared a bit pie-in-the-sky initially once they introduced the idea, yearly they’ve refined it and have principally avoided making unrealistic guarantees or loopy timelines, not like another EV startups on the market.
That’s, till final yr, once they joined the AI buzzword bandwagon, which appeared like a complete waste of time. Plus, the latest announcement of a $90k base value and extra suggestion of long-term subscription charges for characteristic use was not nice to listen to – however that hasn’t been finalized but, so we’ll should see precisely the place issues go from right here.
There does nonetheless appear to be lots of work to do over the course of the subsequent yr earlier than the AFEELA’s “mid-2026” launch, however issues do factor to be progressing at an inexpensive tempo
And, oddly sufficient, regardless of its late entry to the EV market, that is nonetheless going to be one of many first Japanese EVs obtainable within the US. Toyota has the bZ4X (and the derivate Lexus RZ and Subaru Solterra), Nissan has the Leaf and Ariya, and Honda has the Prologue (and Acura ZDX) – which is made in partnership with GM. In the meantime, an organization identified for its client leisure merchandise goes to leap into the pack with the remainder of its nation’s auto trade – by constructing a ground-up EV earlier than a few of its countrymen did so.
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