- The Sony Honda Afeela 1 electric sedan launches next year.
- Dual electric motors produce up to 360kW, drawing energy from a 91kWh battery in an AWD layout.
- The Afeela 1 offers built-in PlayStation Remote Play streaming, requiring at least 5Mbps connectivity.
Sony and Honda’s unlikely automotive mash-up is finally taking shape, and it’s aiming squarely at buyers who think long road trips should come with a DualSense controller.
The Afeela 1 is the pair’s first production electric vehicle, priced from US$89,900 (around NZ$150k before any local costs), and it arrives with something no other car currently offers: built-in PlayStation Remote Play streaming.
When your car thinks it’s a console
At the centre of the Afeela 1’s party trick is native PS Remote Play support. Owners can stream games like Gran Turismo directly from a PlayStation 5 or PlayStation 4 to the car’s large central display, or to the rear screens mounted behind the front seats.
Sony says players can use a standard PlayStation controller or interact via the touchscreen, provided there’s enough bandwidth. A minimum download speed of 5Mbps is required, while 15Mbps is recommended for smoother gameplay.
“The introduction of PS Remote Play embodies Afeela's vision for mobility: transforming the traveling space into a captivating and emotional one,” said Sony Honda Mobility president and chief operating officer Izumi Kawanishi.
“Through this integration, we are elevating the customer’s entire travel experience to an unprecedented level of entertainment.”
Naturally, this is a feature for passengers rather than drivers, but it underlines how seriously Sony is taking the idea of the car as an entertainment platform.
Serious power under the pixels
Beneath the screens and software, the Afeela 1 still needs to function as a proper EV, and on paper, it does. Power comes from a 91kWh battery feeding a dual-motor, all-wheel-drive setup producing up to 360kW.
That places it firmly in premium EV territory, even if outright performance figures such as acceleration times haven’t been disclosed yet.
Pricing starts at US$89,900 for the entry model, while the initial launch version will arrive fully loaded at US$102,900.
Software-defined, right down to the plates
Gaming isn’t the only tech flourish. The Afeela 1 will also ship with a digital licence plate supplied by Reviver in another nod to Sony Honda’s “software-defined vehicle” philosophy, where even traditionally static components become updatable interfaces.
Sales will begin next year, initially in California, with no confirmed timeline for wider rollouts.
Whether the Afeela 1 becomes a cult hit or a niche curiosity remains