Sony and Honda are building a car, and I’m driving

AAutomotive partnership goes on, Sony And Honda Coming together…well, that sounds perfect. Both of these Japanese giants have engineering at their heart, although from a product standpoint, neither of them are at the heights they perhaps once were.

These days, Sony is equally active in hardware as well as content games, with games, movies And music is playing an increasingly important role in its business. And this explains one of the reasons for Sony’s jump into the automotive world, as I’ll explain.

Sony is a serious player in Hollywood, so it seemed fitting that I got my first experience of the Afela 1 – Sony Honda Mobility’s first car – just down the street from Tinseltown in Beverly Hills. My visit coincided with the opening of the newest Sony Honda Mobility retailer in the heart of LA, at the corner of Santa Monica Boulevard and Canon Drive – literally a stone’s throw from the famous Beverly Hills sign.

Sony’s relationship with local officials may help explain why they have been given permission to put the Afila mural on the wall outside the retail unit that runs along Santa Monica Boulevard – the final look was being expertly applied during my visit.

Inside, it’s a car showroom like any other – with an Alfa 1 proudly placed on display, draped in the colors of the University of Southern California’s American football team, The Trojans.

Also on hand was Eddie Ramirez, purchase experience manager at Sony Honda Beverly Hills, who introduced me to the Afila 1, starting with the back of the car.

“As you can see, there are cameras and sensors throughout the vehicle,” Addy said. “It will have a ‘kick’ option so that the trunk can open and close with the wave of your foot. We’ve got a rear active spoiler here that activates at speeds up to 40 mph and if you notice the car is built on an oval design that focuses on safety, but also gives the best experience when it comes to audio and video playback.”

The car has a fairly simple look – it has a slippery shape to increase efficiency and at 4,915 mm long and 1,778 mm wide it is the same size as a Tesla Model S.

However, the rest of the numbers so far aren’t exactly shocking. The Afila website claims an estimated range of ‘up to 300 miles’ from the 91kWh battery, which is hardly an extraordinary figure these days. Nor is the charging speed a maximum of 150kW.

However, there’s a lot more to Afila 1 technology, and Addy’s walkaround proves just that. “There are no door handles,” she says. “We have buttons on our doors and sensors in the doors. So, if I press this button, the door will only open to the capacity where it won’t hit anything next to it. And you can also use the app to open and close the doors — you don’t need a key. It’s your phone.”

Eddie showed me the side mirrors, which also have cameras built in, which provide a digital feed to screens inside the car or which can be used in the traditional sense – something that is unique on the market. And there is a media bar in front, which Eddie told about.

“The media bar is customizable. As you can see here, we put ‘Fight On’ for this car as part of our collaboration with USC. And you can put a special message of your choice; so ‘Happy Birthday’ or your company name. It can be a banner and swirls, and it even has functionality so it can display the weather or the percentage of your charge. It’s completely customizable except for a few things: for example, you can’t make it look like an emergency vehicle. Can show.”

“Hello. Welcome to Afila by Sony Honda Mobility. I am your personal agent. Have you had a good day so far?”

Including mirror-mounted cameras, the car has 40 cameras and sensors, including a lidar ‘hat’ that sits on top of the windscreen and a few separate ‘horns’ mounted on each corner.

“The level of autonomy is going to be more than two,” Ada said. “It’s off the steering wheel; we’re still working around the parameters of what kind of attention the driver needs to pay. But the way it will work is that the car will be able to scan and know what’s on the road before you even see it. So, if you have a very rainy or dark environment, it will be able to see if there’s an obstruction.”

Then it’s time to get behind the steering wheel, which itself has an unusual shape and looks like a square wheel with the top removed – not unlike the Tesla Model S ‘yoke’. And the steering wheel, like the rest of the car, is beautifully crafted and feels at home in a high-class interior.

Eddie asks me to press the brake pedal, which automatically closes the door, while a button on the passenger side does the same. This also wakes up the car – and it starts talking to me…

“Hello. Welcome to Afila by Sony Honda Mobility. I am your personal agent. Have you had a good day so far?”

Being playful, I pretend the day was a bit testing, which my ‘personal agent’ picks up on by saying, “I’m glad you’re here with me, even if the day has been a little rough. Do you want to talk about what’s bothering you or should we focus on something fun like the best coffee spot or a killer rock playlist?”

Instead of engaging in very British conversation about the weather or the state of politics, Addy interjects and suggests that the car tell me about its fantastic features.

“I bring immersive entertainment, a panoramic screen, an intelligent drive system and a spatial sound experience with 28 speakers. What sounds like the one that will brighten your day?” my new PA asks.

The Afila 1 packs support for Dolby Atmos sound as well as noise cancellation that activates instantly when the doors are closed. Ally spits fire Ghost Busters And I sit back and enjoy a very fast clip of a movie – not quite like a movie theater, but not far off, and the seats are definitely more comfortable.

The panoramic display across the entire width of the car is a work of art – crystal clear and with clearly defined segments that can be moved around with a simple swipe. There are different wallpapers, themes and ambient lighting options to suit your mood, while you can also choose different sounds for the e-motors inside the car.

i swiped Ghost Busters From the center of the screen to the passenger side, where it will be invisible to me while driving, although I can still hear the soundtrack.

“Technically yes. If I’m sitting in the front seat watching a movie, you’re hearing me listening to the movie,” Eddy said. “There are speakers in the seats, in the headrests and also in the back. So, the person in this seat, in that seat and us in front, we can all watch our independent movie or listen to music independently of each other in one place.

“Think of it like someone is watching TV in the living room, but you’re watching something on TikTok on your cell phone and you hear some of their audio, they can hear some of your audio, but everyone is immersed in their own experience.”

Top-spec Signature cars will debut next year for $102,900 (£77,750) with larger wheels, more color options and more tech including rear screens. Base models will be available in 2027 for $89,900 (£67,950).

Of course, the system is Sony-tuned and sounds impressive with excellent clarity, good separation and plenty of punch, no matter what music you’re listening to (I had the Trojan theme). fight the fight Played for me), watching movies or playing games – all with a bias towards Sony content.

With Zoom as one of the many apps on the home screen, and an HDMI socket to connect your laptop to the car’s screen, the Afila is also ready to become a mobile office.

My personal agent is also capable of carrying out basic conversations thanks to an AI program provided by Microsoft.

“With the Afila agent it will be much easier to ask questions that may be work related to help you troubleshoot. As you communicate with this agent it starts getting to know you and also starts giving you suggestions about what kind of foods you like, where you want to go. And also in terms of professional communication, you can actually have a conversation.”

As I get out of the car, my agents remind me to “have a nice day” – this is California, after all – and I get a chance to look at the space in the back (there’s plenty) and the space in the boot (again, there’s plenty of room behind the hatchback doors).

Back to the data and, importantly, the prices. This is a premium product – it looks and feels like it, and the price reflects it. You can currently place a $200 (£151) refundable deposit on either of the two Afeela 1 models.

Top-spec Signature cars come first next year for $102,900 (£77,750) with larger wheels, more color options and more tech, including screens for rear-seat passengers. Base models starting at $89,900 (£67,950) will arrive in 2027.

The cars are built in a special facility at Honda’s plant in Ohio, but what about Afilas in the UK or Europe? “Even more in the future,” said Eddy. “We haven’t said anything exactly yet.”

In fact, the Afila won’t be available for sale across the US just yet. It is being rolled out first in California, then others – described as tech-savvy – later.

So, how will Afila fair in the increasingly competitive EV market? Sony Honda Mobility doesn’t have Chinese brands to compete with, but there are new US-based brands like Lucid and Rivian, while companies like Cadillac – as I experienced while in the US on my World Car Awards judging duties – have also upped their EV game.

What most of these newcomers struggle with is a matter of difference. As a car, the Afila doesn’t really offer anything new – the key stats on range, charging and price are, if anything, a bit disappointing.

But that’s not why Sony and Honda have teamed up. For Sony, it’s a PlayStation on four wheels – another opportunity to deliver its growing amount of content to consumers. And where better to do this than in a car in which the company also has a stake.

On technology and quality – two areas in which both Sony and Honda have traditionally been strong – the Afila 1 impresses. And that may be enough to make it stand out in a crowded marketplace.