Sony Introduced AFEELA 1 at CES 2026: Is This Self-Driving Car The Future?
Sony’s AFEELA 1 returns at CES 2026 as a smoother, quieter, road-ready luxury EV that prioritizes refined tech, in-car entertainment, and comfort over flashy new features.
At CES 2026, Sony Honda Mobility brought back the AFEELA 1, and while it may look familiar, this year’s version tells a different story.
Instead of chasing headline-grabbing gimmicks, Sony’s luxury EV now focuses on polish, stability, and real-world readiness, which makes it feel far closer to a production-ready vehicle than a flashy concept.
Design and Interior: A Digital Lounge on Wheels
The AFEELA 1 still feels less like a traditional car and more like a Sony-designed living room on wheels. The massive panoramic dashboard display continues to dominate the cabin, acting as the central hub for navigation, media, apps, and vehicle controls.
Everything feels smoother this time, menus load faster, transitions are cleaner, and the overall experience is more refined. Sony’s philosophy of “mobility as a creative entertainment space” is immediately apparent. This car is clearly designed around how people spend time inside vehicles, not just how fast they move between destinations.
Entertainment and Gaming: PlayStation on the Road
One of the standout features remains PlayStation Remote Play. If you’re already invested in the PlayStation ecosystem and own a PlayStation 5, you can stream games directly to the rear-seat displays using a DualSense controller.
During hands-on demos, the experience proved surprisingly reliable. While it doesn’t stream in 4K, input lag was minimal, and performance stayed stable, even in a crowded CES environment. It’s a niche feature, but for PlayStation fans, it’s one of the most compelling in-car entertainment systems on the market.
AI Assistant: Helpful, Not Revolutionary
The built-in AFEELA AI assistant returns, powered by Microsoft Azure OpenAI. Sony positions it as a “personal agent” that learns over time, but in daily use, it behaves like a competent in-car assistant rather than a breakthrough.
It handles navigation, app launching, and climate controls well, responds to natural voice prompts, and even uses cabin cameras for contextual awareness. It’s useful, reliable, and polished, but not yet a reason alone to buy the car.
Productivity on the Move
Beyond entertainment, the AFEELA 1 leans into productivity. Apps like Zoom are supported, allowing drivers or passengers to take video calls from inside the vehicle. While the wide camera angle can be unflattering, the concept itself reinforces Sony’s vision of the car as a multi-purpose digital space rather than just transportation.
Driving Experience & Refinement
Where the AFEELA 1 truly improves is in its fundamentals. The cabin feels quieter, more composed, and noticeably smoother than last year. Screen responsiveness is faster, system hiccups are rarer, and the overall ride feels more premium.
Sony Honda Mobility is clearly prioritizing comfort, stability, and reliability as it prepares for real-world deployment.
AFEELA Prototype 2026: A Glimpse of What’s Next
Alongside the sedan, Sony also teased an SUV-style concept called AFEELA Prototype 2026, expected to reach production no earlier than 2028. While details remain scarce, it appears to follow the same design and tech philosophy, essentially an AFEELA 1 in SUV form.
Price & Verdict
Starting at $89,900, with higher trims surpassing $100,000, the AFEELA 1 firmly sits in luxury EV territory. At this price point, expectations are high, and this year’s CES showing suggests Sony Honda Mobility is finally meeting them.
Source: Self-Driving is the Future Predictions on CES 2026
