Sony Honda Mobility (SHM) has revealed AFEELA Immersive Audio, an advanced in-car audio system developed in collaboration with Sony, designed to transform the cabin of the upcoming AFEELA 1 electric vehicle into a premium listening environment. Announced on December 9, 2025, this system leverages Sony’s decades of expertise in high-end home audio to deliver an unprecedented level of immersion, fidelity, and personalization in automotive sound.
The AFEELA 1, SHM’s debut EV model unveiled at CES 2025 and slated for initial deliveries in mid-2026, integrates audio engineering from the vehicle’s earliest design phases. The result is a bespoke setup featuring 28 newly developed high-performance speakers, all custom-crafted by Sony. These include:
- Front and rear 3-way systems (woofer, midrange, tweeter) × 4
- Center speakers × 2
- Satellite speakers × 2
- Roof exciters × 2
- Dual subwoofers under the center console (Iso-Barik configuration for precise bass without delay)
- Seat-embedded speakers × 8 (two per seat for four occupants)
Speaker placement is optimized for ear-level alignment, incorporating advanced materials such as multilayer carbon fiber composite diaphragms for purity, silk-dome tweeters, and compact neodymium magnets to minimize distortion.
Immersive Audio
AFEELA Immersive Audio supports High-Resolution audio, Dolby Atmos, and standard stereo sources, enhanced by proprietary Sony technologies:
- Monopole Synthesis: Recreates a precise 3D sound field for enveloping spatial reproduction.
- AI-based sound source separation: Isolates elements like vocals and instruments from stereo tracks, then recombines them for heightened presence—even elevating ordinary 2-channel content to near-live performance quality.
Three distinct modes
The system operates in three distinct modes:
- Immersive Theater Sound: Utilizes 20 cabin speakers for full 360-degree surround, turning the interior into a private theater.
- Hi-Fi Audio: Prioritizes accurate reproduction of high-resolution sources via the front stages, center, and subwoofers for purist listening.
- Zonal Sound: Establishes three independent audio zones (front shared, left rear, right rear) using seat speakers, allowing passengers to enjoy different content simultaneously without interference—ideal for mixed entertainment needs.
Active Road Noice Cancellation
Complementing the audio prowess is Active Road Noise Cancellation, blending Honda’s low-frequency expertise with Sony’s mid-frequency reduction via seat speakers, creating an exceptionally quiet foundation for uncompromised playback.
As Hirofumi Uchiyama, Interior Project Leader at Sony Honda Mobility, states: Our goal was to deliver a sound experience that stirs the soul—an emotional journey that’s more than listening. From the very start, we engineered the entire vehicle as a sound studio on wheels.
Sony acoustic engineer Chikashi Kobayashi adds emphasis on technical rigor: To realize an overwhelming sense of immersion where you are enveloped by sound—something difficult with conventional car audio systems—we insisted on making the phase and frequency characteristics thoroughly flat through software processing.
In an era where electric vehicles offer silent propulsion, AFEELA Immersive Audio positions the AFEELA 1 as a “moving listening room,” redefining in-car entertainment. With the vehicle’s focus on software-defined experiences and partnerships for streaming services, this system raises expectations for automotive hi-fi, blending Sony’s audiophile heritage with mobility innovation. As deliveries approach in 2026, audiophiles and tech enthusiasts alike will be eager to experience this ambitious fusion of sound and motion.
