Sony Honda Mobility has brought back the AFEELA 1 electric vehicle at this year’s CES. If you witnessed it last year, the experience will seem recognizable, but this isn’t a drawback. The AFEELA 1 retains its sleek appearance, continues to highlight its role as a mobile entertainment center, and still feels more like a Sony creation than an ordinary automobile. This year emphasizes enhancement rather than eye-catching new attributes.

During its CES keynote, Sony Honda Mobility highlighted its vision of “mobility as a creative entertainment space,” showcasing AFEELA 1 as a vehicle crafted for time spent within it, not solely for transportation. This philosophy is apparent inside the EV. The expansive dashboard display remains the centerpiece, covering the entire cabin and acting as the primary interface for navigation, media, and applications.

In addition to the AFEELA 1, Sony Honda Mobility unveiled an SUV-style prototype called AFEELA Prototype 2026. Despite its title, the company asserts this prototype will likely begin production in 2028 at the earliest. It resembled the AFEELA 1 but in an SUV shape, though Sony Honda Mobility is withholding additional details for now. More updates on AFEELA 1’s younger counterpart will be disclosed as it nears production.

Meanwhile, the AFEELA 1 provides ample entertainment. One standout feature is its PlayStation Remote Play. If you’re a PS5 owner, you can stream games to the rear seat displays using a DualSense controller. I tried it for the first time after it was hinted at last year, and the connection was satisfactory. It couldn’t stream in 4K, but there was no significant input delay, and it performed well even in a busy demo setting. It’s still a feature aimed at those engaged with the PlayStation ecosystem, but it operates more reliably now.

The AI assistant, AFEELA, makes a comeback, still best characterized as capable but unremarkable. Sony Honda Mobility describes it as a “personal agent” powered by Microsoft Azure OpenAI, intended to facilitate natural dialogue and adapt over time. In practice, it works like a conventional in-car assistant, launching apps, setting destinations, adjusting settings, and answering basic queries. It complimented my shirt using the car’s cameras, which was a nice touch.

The AFEELA 1 displays enhancements in the basics. The interior functions more seamlessly, with quicker screen responses and fewer glitches when switching apps. The cabin feels quieter and more stable, with Sony Honda Mobility placing comfort and steadiness above experimental features.

This refinement extends to establishing the AFEELA 1 as a productivity environment. In addition to entertainment, the vehicle supports applications like Zoom, enabling video calls from within the cabin. The camera angle is slightly misaligned, so you may not appear your best. They showcased it for us, and the camera was wide enough to capture the entire car, rather than framing you like a laptop webcam.

All this fine-tuning comes at a cost. The AFEELA 1 starts at $89,900, with higher trims surpassing $100,000, positioning it within the luxury EV segment. At this price point, expectations should exceed mere functionality. However, this year’s demonstration indicates Sony Honda Mobility is concentrating on refining the essentials before hitting California’s roads later this year.