Sony’s AFEELA 1 EV gets $90k price (+subscription), reserve now for $200
Sony Honda Mobility has introduced its AFEELA 1 EV at the Consumer Electronics Show, finally giving a (nearly) full unveil to the car that’s expected to go on sale in California in 2026.
Sony has been teasing us with an EV project for years now, starting back in 2020 with a surprise unveil at its CES keynote. At the time, it was called the VISION-S project and we thought there was no way it would happen… but later Sony partnered with Honda, then the car got the name “AFEELA” in 2023, and a 2026 release date.
Today Sony gave us another annual update of its AFEELA vehicle, though focused its keynote less on it than it has in the past. The roughly 6 minute segment of its CES keynote dedicated to the car didn’t tell us a whole lot of new information compared to past years, but it did give us perhaps the most important information yet: pricing and availability.
The big news today is that the car will be called the AFEELA 1, and reservations are now open at $200 a pop, with a base price of $89,900 for the “Origin” trim, and $102,900 for the “Signature” trim.
Sony didn’t tell us much more about the difference between these trim levels, but there is a short rundown available on the AFEELA website. The additional $13k for the Signature trim gets you more color choices, rear screens (which you can see in our hands-on of the vehicle prototype), a camera rear-view mirror, and larger wheels.
But, perhaps more importantly, it also gets you the car a year earlier, in “mid 2026,” whereas the Origin series is only available in 2027 (strangely, the original cars will not have the origin trim).
But we may learn more later, as the site also claims that “features may vary.” This is certainly not a full spec sheet, so we’re expecting to learn more as time goes on.
In previous keynotes, Sony has touted its expertise in software and entertainment and said that that will help them make a vehicle that better integrates vehicle software to provide entertainment for passengers and guidance for drivers through its “AFEELA personal agent” and electronic drivers aids (and 45 sensors for potential autonomous driving tasks).
One of tonight’s demos included Sony Honda Mobility CEO Yasuhide Mizuno showing off Sony’s “personal agent” features by talking to the car through his phone, after which the car came out on stage, and later left stage in the same manner. Last year, Sony drove the car on stage with a PS5 controller. Sony didn’t promise that this would become a production feature, merely referring to it as a tech demo.
Sony also specified that its “personal agent” and autonomous drive features will be subscription-based, with a 3-year “complimentary subscription” included along with the car, but no information on how much it would cost after that. Sony said that this is “subject to change” – and given the negative public reaction that some car subscription fees have gotten, we think there’s a reasonable chance that change will come.
But there’s one more catch from today’s presentation: so far, reservations are only open in California.
This is something a lot of companies have done before, because California is the state with the most EVs – and also the strictest emissions rules.
Those strict emissions rules require more EV sales than many other states, so companies often choose to sell EVs in California to help offset the emissions of their other, more polluting gas vehicles. This has led to the phrase “compliance car,” referring to compliance with California’s EV rules, to describe cars that are focused more on meeting regulations than on being a serious 50-state effort by an automaker.
While Sony doesn’t have any emissions to offset, Honda does. Honda only recently started selling EVs in the US with the Prologue, which is selling quite well across many states, not just California.
So, it’s a bit weird that either of these companies would focus solely on California, as it doesn’t seem like either of them have to worry about compliance. We reached out to figure out what the timeline would be for other states, and will update you if we find out anything new.
Reservations for the AFEELA 1 are $200 and fully refundable, and can be made on AFEELA’s website now – if you’re in California.
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Mitsubishi is partnering with Ample and Yamoto Transports to deploy an innovative new battery swap network for electric cars in its Japanese home market — but it’s not just for electric cars. Mitsubishi Fuso commercial trucks are getting in on the action, too!
Despite a number of early EV adopters with an overdeveloped concept of ownership, battery swap technology has proven to be both extremely effective and extremely positive to the overall EV ownership experience. And when you see how simple it is to add hundreds of miles of driving in just 100 seconds — quicker, in many cases, than pumping a tank of liquid fuel into an ICE-powered car — you might come around, yourself.
That seems to be what Mitsubishi thinks, anyway, and they’re hoping they’ll be your go-to choice when it’s time to electrify your regional and last-mile commercial delivery fleet(s) by launching a multi-year pilot program to deploy more than 150 battery-swappable commercial electric vehicles and 14 modular battery swapping stations across Tokyo, where the company plans to showcase its “five minute charging” tech in full view of hundreds of commercial fleets and, crucially, the executives of the companies that own and manage them.
A truck like the Mitsubishi eCanter typically requires a full night of AC charging to top off its batteries, and at least an hour or two on DC charging in Japan, according to Fuso. This joint pilot by Mitsubishi, Mitsubishi Fuso Trucks, and Ample aims to circumvent this issue of forced downtime with its swappable batteries, supporting vehicle uptime by delivering a full charge within minutes. The move is meant to encourage the transport industry’s EV shift while creating a depository of stored energy that can be deployed to the grid in the event of a natural disaster — something Mitsubishi in Japan has been working on for years.
Trucks like the eCanter already serve a number of roles throughout the global truck market, including municipal waste collection, regional delivery support, and more.
The pilot is backed by Tokyo Metropolitan Government’s “Technology Development Support Project for Promoting New Energy,” with local delivery operator Yamato Transport testing swappable EVs for delivery operations on both its eCanter light-duty trucks and Mitsubishi Minicab kei-class electric vans.
Electrek’s Take
Electrifying the commercial truck fleet is a key part of decarbonizing city truck fleets – not just here in the US, but around the world. I called the eCanter, “a great product for moving stuff around densely packed city streets,” and eliminating the corporate fear of EV charging in the wild just makes it an even better product for that purpose.
Here’s hoping we see more “right size” electric solutions like this one (and more battery swapping tech) in small towns and tight urban environments stateside somewhat sooner than later.
SOURCES | IMAGES: Mitsubishi, Fuso.
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After becoming the first European brand to offer fully electric versions of every model it sells — and at the same price as the ICE models — Opel is going even further, with a new, AWD electric SUV that should give American Jeep fans hope for a new electric Cherokee!
Now part of the Stellantis, rather than GM portfolio of brands, Rüsselsheim-based Opel showed off the first official pictures of its new Opel Grandland Electric AWD — the company’s first all-electric SUV to feature the “Blitz” performance emblem and all-wheel drive.
“Our top-of-the-range Grandland SUV is a milestone for Opel,” says Opel CEO Florian Huettl. “Customers already have a choice of battery-electric drive, plug-in hybrid and hybrid with 48-volt technology. We are now offering even more choice with the Grandland Electric AWD and thus ensuring that our customers can enjoy maximum efficiency and safety in diverse weather and road conditions, combined with plenty of driving fun.”
Stellantis gets it right in Europe
Opel says its new, AWD Grandland is its most aerodynamically efficient model yet, with a drag coefficient (Cd) of just 0.278. That efficiency, paired with similarly efficient electric motors and a 73 kWh li-ion NMC battery give the electric crossover a 501 km (311 mile) WLTP range, while a combined 325 hp and 375 lb-ft of torque should make for suitably spirited acceleration to go along with all that green cred.
Suspension and handling, too, are promised to deliver on what Opel claims is a “typical” Teutonic driving experience in the Grandland AWD:
Both driving pleasure and comfort are further emphasized by dampers with frequency selective damping technology. This unique technology comes as standard on the Grandland Electric AWD and incorporates a second hydraulic circuit in the damper chamber to mechanically adapt the damping force in relation to the frequency. Depending on the situation, road surface conditions and driving style, it enables different damping characteristics for comfortable gliding at high frequencies – i.e. with short impacts such as on cobblestones or a manhole cover – as well as for a sporty, ambitious driving style with more direct contact with the road at low frequencies. The Grandland reacts even more immediately and directly to any command from the driver and, as is typical for Opel, remains stable when braking, cornering and at high speeds on the Autobahn.
OPEL PRESS RELEASE
The Opel Grandland Electric AWD ships with four standard drive modes that include “normal,” eco, sport, and 4WD mode, which simulates locking axles and true 4×4 off-road performance. The ESP and traction control systems adopt specific settings to enhance grip in 4WD mode as well, and maximum power and torque are instantly available.
Electrek’s Take
As you maybe could tell by now, feeding European Stellantis EVs into an AI image generator and asking it to “make them into Jeeps” is one of my new favorite things to do. This new Opel is no different, and the resulting image (above) paired with the models’ stated specs give me hope that the next wave of Jeep EVs will do better than the Wagoneer S at attracting buyers. All they really need, I think, is the right name — and the right price, to be winners.
SOURCE | IMAGES: Opel.
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Like a 90s “gifted” kid that was supposed to be a lot of things, the electric Jeep Wagoneer S never really found its place — but with dealers discounting the Jeep brands forward-looking flagship by nearly $25,000, it might be time to give the go-fast Wagoneer S a second look.
SKIP THE STORY: get straight to the deals.
Whether we’re talking about Mercedes-Benz, Cerberus, Fiat, or even Enzo Ferrari, outsiders have labeled Jeep as a potentially premium brand that could, “if managed properly,” command luxury-level prices all over the globe. That hasn’t happened, and Stellantis is just the latest in a long line of companies to sink massive capital into the brand only to realize that people will not, in fact, spend Mercedes money on a Jeep.
That said, the Jeep Wagoneer S is not a bad car (and neither is its totally different, hideously massive, ICE-powered Wagoneer sibling, frankly). Built on the same Stellantis STLA Large vehicle platform that underpins the sporty Charger Daytona EVs, the confusingly-named Wagoneer S packs dual electric motors putting out almost 600 hp. That’s good enough to scoot the ‘ute 0 to 60 mph in a stomach-turning 3.5 seconds and enough, on paper, to convince Stellantis executives that they had developed a real, market-ready alternative to the Tesla Model Y.
With the wrong name and a sky-high starting price of $66,995 (not including the $1,795 destination fee), however, that demand didn’t materialize, leaving the Wagoneer S languishing on dealer lots across the country.
That could be about to change, however, thanks to big discounts on Wagoneer S being reported at CDJR dealers in several states, according to our friends at the Car Dealership Guy podcast.
- Jimmy Britt Chrysler Dodge Jeep Ram in Georgia, has a Wagoneer S with an MSRP of $67,590 listed at $43,104 ($24,486 off)
- In Florida, Taverna Chrysler Dodge Jeep Ram Fiat has a $67,590 Wagoneer S slashed to $43,138 ($24,452 off)
- Chris Nikel Chrysler Jeep Dodge Ram Fiat in Oklahoma has a Wagoneer S listed for $43,425 ($24,165 off)
“Stellantis bet big on electric versions of iconic American brands like Jeep and Dodge, but consumers aren’t buying the premise,” writes CDG’s Marcus Amick. “(Stellantis’ dealer body) is now stuck with expensive EVs that need huge discounts to move, eating into already thin margins while competitors focus on [more] profitable gas-powered vehicles.”
All of which is to say: if you’ve found yourself drawn to the Jeep Wagoneer S, but couldn’t quite stomach the $70,000+ window stickers, you might want to check in with your local Jeep dealer and see how you feel about it at a JCPenneys-like 30% off!
Jeep Wagoneer S gallery
SOURCES | IMAGES: Car Dealership Guy, CarScoops, and CarsDirect.
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