Sony and Honda’s Afeela electric car will start at $89,900
Sony and Honda’s Afeela electric car will start at $89,900
The Afeela is coming into focus.
- Both prices include a complimentary three-year subscription to a variety of in-car features, including the company’s Level 2+ driver assist and an AI-powered personal assistant. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
$90k AND a subscription? They can fuck off elsewhere.
And on top of that a ridiculous name?
A feelya
I’m not buying a car that offers subscription “features”. SiriusXM is bad enough.
Just what we need. Another 100k EV. Why can no US automaker make a small EV hatchback or sedan with good enough range for 20-30k? I sure wish I had the freedom to buy a BYD Dolphin or Seagull.
The Bolt is returning later this year and is rumored to be sub 30k.
That's fantastic to hear. I hope they got the battery issues fixed and they last 150k+ miles.
The battery pack is basically the expensive part. For a US car maker a 20k econobox EV doesn’t make sense. The margins are just too small because the battery eats most of the cost. BYD can sell these small cars because they get the batteries for much cheaper since they produce their own batteries from scratch and the Chinese government subsidizes their battery industry.
The Leaf is so close to being reasonable its just needs to be $10k less
About 6 figures for a single vehicle and only limited time access to car features without paying more every year after that? Are EV companies insane!? No one even wants AI, I certainly wouldn't pay for it! Where are the affordable electric vehicles made for the working class, not tech bro millionaires??
The consumers who buy subscriptions are the problem. If this isn't a total flop because of the subscriptions, it proves it's the people who are insane
I mean for a lot of things there just aren't any real options. Lots of software packages are no longer available without a subscription. Heck, I've been looking for an app to guide me through evening stretches and I can't find anything that's just a single purchase.
Driver assistance is one of those times I think AI is actually smart and works well.
I'd pay not to have AI in my car. Or just avoid any that does
Don't give them any ideas
"Subscription to a variety of in-car features"
Fuck you.
Given Sonys general fixation on weird expensive niche features, I wonder if there will be any market for this thing.
Afeela is starting to become a little bit more than just a feeling. The electric vehicle, which is a joint venture between Sony and Honda, is finally available for preorder. And it only took five years to get here.
All those people that downvoted me yesterday because I said EVs take time need to pay attention to that bit.
Tesla released the Roadster in 2008, and Nissan released the Leaf in 2010. It's currently 2025. The Tesla is almost old enough to vote, so it seems like they've had a significant amount of time.
The point here is the time from when you say "go" to the time you are ready to sell. That's 5 years.
Inb4 Lemmy's famous misreading: Yes they should have started earlier. That's not the point here.