Afeela 1, the battery-electric vehicle developed as part of a joint venture between Sony and Honda, has begun early prototype production at the Honda assembly plant in East Liberty, Ohio. Headlight.News has more.
Custom jigs allow Honda to start putting together early prototypes of the Afeela 1.
It’s been a tough couple years for EV start-ups, with wannabe brands like Lordstown Motors and Fisker going belly-up. But Sony Honda Mobility took a major step closer to reality this week as the partnership began pre-production trials at the Honda Assembly Plant in East Liberty, Ohio.
Sony first signaled plans to get into the car business at the 2021 Consumer Electronics Show, announcing a joint venture with Honda a year later.
The goal is to get what has been dubbed the Afeela 1into production at the Ohio plant sometime in 2026. The work that’s underway now will help prove out both the design of the high-tech EV and the production process, company officials indicated.
What’s an Afeela 1
An engineer checks to see whether sheet metal gaps are small and consistent.
The Sony Honda Mobility Afeela 1 is a midsize liftback expected to target other all-electric luxury sedans like the Tesla Model S and Lucid Air. It’s planned to come in around $90,000 to start, though pricing could be impacted by the Trump tariffs on imported auto parts, as well as foreign-made aluminum and steel.
The five-door will put a premium on high-tech features, many of them developed by Sony and designed to deliver infotainment services supplied by the electronics and entertainment giant. In concept form, Afeela 1 was shown with a yoke-style steering wheel which may not carry over into production. What will not change is the use of a large digital display covering virtually the entire instrument cluster.
Afeela 1 also will feature advanced hands-free driving capabilities, the partners have promised, the vehicle loaded up with dozens of cameras and other sensors, as well as advanced computer processing technologies.
All versions of Afeela 1 are expected to offer all-wheel-drive capabilities, but it’s unclear whether it will stick with a single, twin-motor system or eventually offer multiple drivetrain options. A 91.0 kWh battery pack is expected to deliver about 300 miles per charge.
What’s new
In the months ahead, Honda will start tooling up an assembly line to begin mass production of Afeela 1.
Honda serves as the contracted production partner for the Afeela project, the new EV set to roll out at the Japanese automaker’s assembly plant in East Liberty, Ohio. The factory is part of an electric vehicle manufacturing hub Honda has set up in mid-Ohio.
Bringing Afeela 1 to production will be a multiple-step process, beginning with pre-production trials now getting underway. The first step is to ensure the initial concept vehicle actually can be assembled in mass volume, while meeting basic targets for quality, fit and finish.
Work is still underway setting up the assembly line. For now, early prototypes are being built using custom-built jigs and other gear set up to see how everything comes together.
“We are proud to be entrusted by Sony Honda Mobility to manufacture AFEELA 1 here in Ohio, said Chris Woodard, plant lead for East Liberty. “The quality standards set by Sony Honda Mobility are exceptionally high and challenging, but with over 35 years of automotive experience and craftsmanship, we’re confident in our ability to meet them.”
More EV News
- First Drive: 2026 Cadillac Lyriq is the Brand’s Fastest Street-Legal Vehicle Ever
- Mercedes Pauses U.S. Orders of EQ Battery-Electric Vehicles
- Sony Honda Afeela Moves Closer to Production
Is there a market
The big question about Afeela 1 is whether Sony and Honda actually will find a market for the electric liftback. U.S. EV sales did set a new record during the first half of 2025, though demand started falling off in the second quarter. And moves made by the Trump administration, including the elimination of federal EV tax credits and the ending of a government-backed program to expand public charging, are expected to further slow demand.
That’s a challenge for established manufacturers, from BMW to Toyota, and all the more difficult for emerging EV brands, such as Rivian and Lucid. Even Tesla has suffered a sharp dip in sales. Meanwhile, a number of newer start-ups like Fisker and Lordstown Motors have folded.
Sony and Honda are betting they have enough cash and marketing muscle to stake out a space in the market, further backed by the high-tech features Sony is developing for Afeela 1. But the other challenge will be the body design. Sedan-style EVs have lost significant momentum, as have conventional gas models, in a market increasingly dominated by SUVs and CUVs.
Money Down The Drain.