Sony and Honda's Afeela to add an SUV and a compact EV to complement the sedan

Sony and Honda, the corporate heavyweights, seem to have an electric fever and want a piece of the rapidly expanding EV pie. Their joint venture, Afeela, has its sights set no longer on just an electric sedan. There’s an SUV and – wait for it – a "budget-friendly" compact car designed to counter Tesla's recent price cuts, waiting to join the growing portfolio.

The first vehicle from Afeela is the posh electric sedan, it is expected to arrive in 2025 and will carry a price tag exceeding $66,000. The latest version of the vehicle was showcased at the CES in January. The sedan will come with more than 45 sensors and cameras and will leverage Qualcomm's Snapdragon Digital Chassis with 800 TOPS of computing capacity for key features such as ADAS, infotainment, and telematics.

Afeela being Sony’s brand, the technology onboard will be of the highest caliber - yoke steering, cabin-spanning screen, connectivity and AI to run everything. Honda is contributing the electric 482 hp dual-motor powertrain coupled with a yet undisclosed battery.

While the sedan won’t see the daylight until 2025, already following in its high-priced tire tracks is an SUV launching in 2027. Likely inspired by Sony's Vision-S 02 concept – think stylish sibling, but even pricier. To somewhat balance out the affordability of the Afeela brand, the company is planning to round up the lineup with a compact EV sometime in 2028.

While the details of both the SUV and the little compact are scarce, Sony Honda Mobility confirmed that to keep costs down and the development swift, all three vehicles will share the same platform. This modular approach allows SHM to adapt features and functionalities without reinventing the wheel (pun intended) for each model.

Sony Honda Mobility clearly plans to play the spec sheet game. All three vehicles will share one platform to simplify production. Buzzwords like self-driving tech and in-car gaming are part of the pitch, made possible by Sony's partnership with Epic Games. It sounds awesome, but will the experience measure up to the promises? And will these fancy features make us forget about the wallet-emptying price tags?

Let's face it, the market for EVs is a battlefield. Sales are up, with more than 10 million electric cars hitting roads in 2023, according to industry experts. Tesla used to be king of the castle, but a bevy of hungry competitors – especially those offering affordable options like BYD – are threatening its reign. With Tesla slashing prices to gain an edge, the pressure is on. Now, could Sony and Honda's sudden jump into this fight be fueled by this changing landscape?

So, back to the million-dollar question: Do collaborations between titans like Sony and Honda actually push the EV scene forward, or do they just add more noise and brand bloat to a crowded market? They want to win over hearts (and wallets) with the latest tech and the allure of Sony-powered entertainment. Let's just hope they don't overlook the basics... like delivering batteries that hold more than just promises.

Sony isn’t the only tech brand trying to break into the EV world. Xiaomi is the one to watch with its first EV, the SU7. The company took its sweet time to develop it and that approach seems to be paying off. At least on paper, and in first reviews, the SU7 looks like a highly accomplished EV that can upset the established automakers. Xiaomi decided to develop a vehicle as if it were a piece of technology and used its expertise in that field to its advantage.

Sony will want to replicate that, and Honda needs Sony’s help on the tech side of things. On paper, this looks like a marriage made in heaven. Afeela is playing it safe when it comes to the design of its upcoming EVs, trying not to rock the EV boat too much and attract as many conservative customers as possible. Blending in a lot of clever tech is a very smart approach - we just wish the wait wouldn’t be so long.

The good news is, if you don’t want to wait till 2025, you can drive the Afeela electric sedan now - and it won’t cost you a kidney and half a liver. SHM joined forces with Polyphony Digital and the first Afeela EV is available in the latest Gran Turismo 7.

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