Sony, a giant tech company, and Honda, a major automaker have teamed up together to start a new EV company called “Sony Honda Mobility”. Both companies will put their expertise in manufacturing and selling electric vehicles under the Afeela brand. Recently, the joint venture company revealed a prototype of its upcoming Afeela sedan EV at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) 2023 in Las Vegas. The Auto-Tech joint company also showcased a prototype of the brand’s Vision-S electric concept car at CES 2023. The CEO of Sony Honda Mobility, Yasuhide Mizuno, made the announcement of these vehicles on the stage, the company further confirmed that the pre-booking of its electric cars will start in the first half of 2025 and the first deliveries will be made in North America in 2026.
Consumer Electronics Show (CES) is a big tech event in which companies from all over the world participate to talk about their future plans as well as launch new products. At the Sony Honda Mobility section of the event, a four-door electric sedan was driven on the stage on Wednesday to showcase the company’s prototype. Kenichiro Yoshida, CEO of Sony, explained the company’s mobility strategy. According to his statements, the company places a high priority on developing autonomous vehicles that may serve as “mobile entertainment”.
Afeela’s parent companies Sony and Honda have previously mentioned that the EVs under the Afeela brand will initially be built at Honda’s North America factory and they will feature Level 3 autonomous driving. Cars that have Level 3 autonomous driving capabilities can easily drive themselves in situations like traffic jams, under the presence of an active driver.
Sony showcased new design details for the vehicle, including the merging of external media onto the front of the vehicle, which allows it to communicate with other road users and share critical information. The CEO of Sony, Yoshida said, “We plan to explore the potential of how media can create a fun and exciting mobility conversation.” He further mentioned that the showcased prototype has 45 cameras and sensors installed inside and outside to ensure safety and security. The cabin sensors will continuously monitor the driver’s condition to help prevent accidents.
Yoshida also said that the Afeela EVs will offer best-in-class entertainment to the passengers. The Sony Honda Mobility will add Epix Games Unreal Engine and a 3D computer graphics games engine to the Afeela to not only just give the best entertainment but also attach communication and safety to the cars. He said, In addition to movies, games, and music we envision a new in-cabin experience using our expertise in UX and UI technology.
The Chief Technology Officer at Epic Games, Kim Libreri said on the stage at CES, that the most natural way to visualize important data inside the car is through intuitive interactive photo real augmentation, which is what the Unreal Engine does best. In the future, the automobile will become the next generation’s destination for social interaction. Not just for riders, but also for their networks of friends and associates. It will become a constant in our digital lives. Afeela cars will be created using Qualcomm’s system-on-a-chip technology, including Their Snapdragon Digital Chassis, to handle all of the calculations for automated driving and advanced driver assistance system features, car telematics, and a powerful infotainment system.
