Sony Honda Mobility is planning to launch an electric SUV and an affordable compact car in addition to the sedan showcased earlier, according to a new report from Nikkei Asia.
The SUV is set to be released in 2027, followed by the compact car in 2028, as per the report. Sony and Honda announced in 2022 that the sedan will be unveiled in 2025 under the Afeela brand, with pre-orders starting at that time. Deliveries in the U.S. are scheduled to begin in 2026, with Nikkei Asia now reporting a targeted base price equivalent to $66,400.
Reportedly, the SUV and the compact car will also be sold in the U.S., and all three models will utilize the same platform to reduce costs and expedite development. The compact car, expected to be similar in size to the current Honda Civic, will also share components with a new generation of Honda’s independently developed electric vehicles, the first of which are also slated to arrive in 2026.
As Honda’s CEO, Toshihiro Mibe, explained, Honda’s next-generation electric vehicles will share some components with Afeela, but they won’t all be identical. Afeela will incorporate aspects that “enhance the vehicle’s value” and “amaze the world,” he noted.
Honda executives also mentioned at that time that they were having trouble manufacturing an affordable compact EV without a “breakthrough” in battery technology, although perhaps the automaker believes that adding Sony’s EV would help achieve profitability through economies of scale.
The report does not specify where the two future models will be assembled, but the initial Afeela sedan will be built in Ohio, at an existing Honda plant. In 2022, Honda announced a $700 million investment to modernize various facilities in Ohio and transform them into a hub for electric vehicle production, with a nearby Honda-LG battery joint plant.
Afeela showcased an updated version of the sedan at CES in January, emphasizing that there would be a “digital platform for co-creation” for third-party applications and services, likely bringing in additional revenue for Sony.
