During Sony’s presentation at CES in Las Vegas on Wednesday, the joint mobility venture of Sony and Honda showcased a new EV concept called Afeela. The logo will feature on the joint venture’s first production electric vehicle, which will go on sale in North America in 2026.
Much remains unknown about the new brand, although Sony Honda Mobility CEO Yasuhide Mizuno stated that the car would leverage Sony’s capabilities with artificial intelligence, entertainment, virtual reality, and augmented reality to deliver a distinct EV.
Over 40 sensors, including cameras, radar, ultrasonic, and lidar, will be integrated across the vehicle’s exterior to improve its capacity to recognise objects and drive independently. Afeela, according to Mizuno, would strive to express three primary themes: autonomy, augmentation, and affinity.
The prototype shown on stage resembled little of the concept first shown at CES three years ago by Sony. Instead, this was a sedan with a front light bar, a closed off grille, and a high-gloss black top. Some of the more intriguing exterior modifications included black hubcaps and a light accent above the wheel wells. Several people said the Afeela prototype looked like a cross between a Porsche 911 and a Lucid Air.
The new EV will be priced to compete with the likes of Mercedes-Benz, BMW, Volvo, and Audi. Sony has stated that it expects its software to offer subscription services, which means that vehicle owners will most likely have to pay a monthly price to use specific capabilities.
Sony surprised CES guests three years ago when it unveiled the Vision-S, a sleek concept sedan.
The Vision-S, with its pillar-to-pillar multimedia panels and emphasis on music and entertainment, was designed to depict what a car would look like if Sony really manufactured one. Which it told everyone it had no plans to do.
That, however, was not totally correct. In early 2022, word spread that Sony and Honda were forming a joint company with the sole objective of mass producing and selling electric vehicles. The Sony-Honda vehicles will be manufactured at one of Honda’s 12 US sites, though no information on expected volume has been released. The EV will be available in the United States first, followed by Japan and Europe later. Preorders are expected to begin in 2025.
Among the concepts proposed for the Honda-Sony vehicle is a fully integrated PS5 for gaming and entertainment. According to Yasuhide Mizuno, chair of Sony Honda Mobility and senior management officer of Honda, the objective was to “create a car as hardware that will adapt to the entertainment and network we would like to deliver,” he said late last year in an interview.
In other words, Sony sees cars, particularly electric vehicles, as a critical platform for the future of its technology and entertainment goods. But, unlike Apple and Google, it is not satisfied with licencing its hardware and software to automakers or designing its own operating system. It also wants a say in the design and development process. Making cars is extremely dangerous and costly, especially for a company that has never done it before.
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