Sony And Honda Are Making An SUV

The Afeela Prototype will become a production model at the earliest in 2028.

2026 Afeela Prototype

Photo by: Afeela

Adrian Padeanu

By: Adrian Padeanu

Updated: Jan 6, at 8:51am ET

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THE BREAKDOWN

Sony Honda Mobility's joint venture Afeela rolls out an SUV prototype.
It debuts this week at CES 2026 in Las Vegas.
It will go on sale in the United States in 2028 at the earliest.

The first concept vehicle to break cover in 2026 comes from a brand you might not even know existed. Afeela is the product of Sony Honda Mobility, a joint venture between the two Japanese giants formed to build electric vehicles. Although the EV market is cooling in the United States, the newcomer is pressing ahead with its electric ambitions in the upper-end segment.

Although deliveries of the Afeela 1 sedan won’t start until later this year, there’s already an SUV equivalent. Displayed this week at CES in Las Vegas as a prototype, the high-riding EV is slated to go on sale in the U.S. at the earliest in 2028. We wouldn’t necessarily call it a conventionally shaped SUV, as it’s closer to a high-riding sedan. Its silhouette is reminiscent of the 2018 Mercedes-Maybach Ultimate Luxury, albeit with a less awkward profile.

Predictably, the styling doesn’t stray far from the sedan, embracing minimalism to achieve smooth surfaces across the body. Creases and angles are kept to a minimum, and there are no visible door handles. While it’s certainly not the most exciting design in the SUV world, the prototype is easy on the eyes. If it looks familiar, that’s because it takes after the Vision-S 02 concept Sony unveiled at CES back in 2022.

Photo by: Afeela

Technical specifications are shrouded in mystery, but the preceding concept measured 192.7 inches (4,895 mm) in length, 76 inches (1,930 mm) in width, and 65 inches (1,650 mm) in height. It rode on a massive 119.3-inch wheelbase, sat on 20-inch wheels, and weighed 5,467 pounds (2,480 kilograms).

Since the production model is still at least a couple of years away, Afeela isn’t divulging pricing details. For context, the sedan starts at $89,900 in base Origin guise and climbs to $102,900 for the range-topping Signature trim.

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The tie-up between Sony and Honda is intriguing and could lure some buyers, but the SUV isn’t arriving until 2028 at the earliest. It’s also worth noting that the sedan won’t be exclusive to the U.S., as it will go on sale in Japan in the first half of 2027. Launching the SUV in additional markets would make sense, but Afeela still faces an uphill battle.

2026 Afeela Prototype

Source: Afeela

Motor1's Take: Competition is always healthy regardless of the segment, but Afeela’s SUV faces a challenging future. While EVs continue to gain traction worldwide, Cox Automotive reports that US EV sales fell 2.1 percent last year. It’s the first decline since 2019, and the end of the EV tax incentive certainly won’t help.

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