Ahead of the opening of CES 2026 in Las Vegas, Sony Honda Mobility (SHM) held a press conference on January 5, local time, outlining its medium- to long-term strategy and presenting the latest developments under the AFEELA brand. The company showcased the pre-production AFEELA 1, confirmed delivery timelines, and world-premiered the new AFEELA Prototype 2026.
Related: Sony and Honda’s AFEELA brand launched, new mobility line and prototype unveiled at CES 2023
The press conference featured presentations from SHM executives Yasuhide Mizuno, representative director, chairperson and CEO, and Izumi Kawanishi, representative director, president and COO, as well as J Thongnop, senior director of marketing at Sony Honda Mobility of America. Guest speakers included representatives from Qualcomm Technologies and Sony Interactive Entertainment, as well as music producer Tomoko Ida.
SHM confirmed that AFEELA 1 is its first production model, with customer deliveries in California scheduled to begin in 2026. Sales and deliveries are planned to expand to Arizona in 2027, while deliveries in Japan are expected to start in the first half of 2027.
Reservations for AFEELA 1 opened in California in January 2025. Since then, SHM has opened AFEELA Studio showrooms and conducted vehicle exhibitions, attracting more than 100,000 visitors and completing over 24,000 in-vehicle demonstrations within the first year.
As part of its preparation for mass production, SHM conducted trial production runs of AFEELA 1 in fall 2025 at Honda’s East Liberty Auto Plant in Ohio, its contract manufacturing partner. Pre-production vehicles from this line were displayed at CES 2026. The company also announced that it will open AFEELA Studio and Delivery Hubs in Torrance and Fremont, California, in spring 2026. These facilities will combine showroom and delivery functions, and early reservation holders will be invited to participate in the AFEELA Advanced Access program, with demo drives planned for later in the year.
During the press conference, SHM reaffirmed its vision of “Mobility as a Creative Entertainment Space.” The company aims to evolve vehicles from driver-centric machines into AI-powered partners that can understand user preferences and emotions, making time spent in the car more productive and engaging.
Central to this vision is AFEELA Intelligent Drive, SHM’s advanced driver assistance system. The system currently targets Level 2+ driver assistance, supporting travel from departure to destination, while the company works toward future Level 4–equivalent capabilities. SHM said this progression would eventually enable a “drive-less” in-cabin environment where occupants can focus on entertainment and other activities.
SHM also highlighted the AFEELA Personal Agent, a conversational AI built using Microsoft Azure OpenAI Service. The system is designed to deliver personalized, natural dialogue and adapt to individual users, strengthening interaction between occupants and the vehicle.
To support its next-generation software-defined vehicles, SHM plans to adopt solutions from Qualcomm Technologies’ Snapdragon Digital Chassis as part of its future electrical and electronic architecture. The company said the platform will underpin AI-centered mobility experiences by enabling advanced computing, connectivity, and in-vehicle systems.
In addition, SHM announced the launch of the AFEELA Co-Creation Program, which will provide creators and developers with access to development documentation and tools for building in-vehicle entertainment content, including themes and applications. The company is developing cloud APIs and an Android-based development environment for in-vehicle infotainment, with the intention of expanding third-party applications and services inside the cabin.
SHM also revealed plans for a new open, on-chain mobility service platform that will use a token-based incentive model. Under what it calls an “X-to-Earn” concept, the platform is intended to support ideation, development, and evaluation of mobility services. It is planned to be open to other automakers and service providers.
Alongside AFEELA 1, SHM world-debuted the AFEELA Prototype 2026 at CES. The prototype builds on the core concept of AFEELA 1 while offering increased spatial flexibility and accessibility, targeting a broader range of users. A production model based on this prototype is planned for launch in the U.S. market as early as 2028.
AFEELA 1 is positioned as an intelligent mobility vehicle that integrates advanced software with high-performance hardware. It features driver assistance systems designed to reduce driving stress, an interactive personal agent for vehicle interaction, a premium sound system, and large displays optimized for apps and entertainment. SHM said the vehicle’s dynamics are engineered to balance agile and stable handling with ride comfort for all occupants.
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