TOKYO — When Afeela, the new electric vehicle brand created by Honda Motor Co. and Sony Corp., starts delivering cars in 2026, it won't just consider Honda and Acura dealers to service them.
In the U.S., the new EV venture may also look to brands outside the Honda and Acura dealer networks — including retailers from rival automakers.
"Not only Honda dealers. There may be several opportunities," Yasuhide Mizuno, CEO of Sony Honda Mobility Inc., said about plans for Afeela's critical after-sales network.
"It might be that is the best way for the customer," he said.
Rethinking retail, even if it means disrupting relations with franchised dealers, exemplifies the nothing-is-sacred mindset of Sony Honda Mobility in its quest to reinvent the auto business.
Super-powerful computer chips, extra-long leases, exporting from the U.S. to Japan, video game tie-ups — not to mention, the temerity to team two of Japan's most iconic brands from vastly different industries — all underscore the bold, experimental nature of the 50-50 joint venture.
Even the oddly avant-garde brand name Afeela seems to test new sensibilities.
In Jan. 31 interviews with Automotive News, the new partnership's top executives described their mission as combining the best of both companies to deliver a new kind of EV. While acknowledging that the first vehicle — an all-wheel-drive sedan — is still a work in progress, Mizuno and COO Izumi Kawanishi talked product specs, marketing, sales strategies and more.
"It's a new challenge," said Mizuno, dispatched to the startup from Honda, where he served as global head of automobile operations. "There is no previous experience to compare it with."