Sony Honda joint venture EV Afeela announces Spotify as in-car entertainment partner

Photo Credit: Afeela

The electric vehicle joint venture between Sony and Honda, Afeela, is showcasing at CES in Las Vegas this year. The car is now available for pre-order, though only in California for now.

Sony Honda Mobility has announced pricing and pre-order details for the Afeela 1 with two different trim options. The Afeela 1 Origin starts at $89,900 and the Afeela 1 Signature starts at $102,900. Both prices include a three-year subscription to in-car features including driver assist and an AI-powered personal assistant. Buried in the announcement is Sony Honda Mobility’s partnership with Spotify to be the exclusive in-car entertainment partner.

Through this partnership, Afeela customers will be able to access Spotify directly from their in-car entertainment system for a seamless audio experience. Customers can enjoy their favorite playlists, recently played songs, personalized recommendations, and Spotify’s library of over 100 million songs, 6 million podcast titles, and 350,000 audiobooks.

Buyers who are interested in pre-ordering the new electric vehicle must live in California and can put down a $200 refundable deposit to buy their spot in line. So far, Sony Honda Mobility has not made clear when the vehicle will be available outside of California. The vehicle includes an estimated 300 miles of range and includes built-in support for Tesla’s Supercharger network. Afeela is also borrowing a Henry Ford concept—you can have it in any color you want as long as it’s ‘Core Black.’

The latest version of the prototype vehicle has been called ‘near final’ by Sony Honda Mobility CEO Yasuhide Mizuno. The vehicle includes screens across the width of the dashboard and more than 40 sensors and camera for semi-autonomous driving assistance. The vehicle itself appears to be a cross between a Honda Accord and the Lucid Air.

CES is always a place to showcase new playthings with cutting edge technology; there are always production concept cars on the floor. It will be interesting to see what the Afeela looks like when it finally rolls off the production line in its final form—will it retain the no door handles concept?