Sony and Honda want to enter the electric car market with Afeela
At the beginning of 2020, Sony surprised with its own electric car concept, two years later it became known that the Japanese group was working together with Honda. Now the two partners are using the spotlight of CES 2023 in Las Vegas to shift the project into the next gear. The first big announcement: the joint venture Sony Honda Mobility (SHM) will launch the vehicles under the new brand “afeela” offer.
Sony Honda Mobility: First Afeela car from 2026
A new prototype will then be used to show what customers can expect. This should form the basis for the upcoming production models. Interested parties can also mark the planned start of sales in their calendar – even if it takes a while until then. Pre-orders are planned to be accepted from the first half of 2025, with delivery to begin in North America in spring 2026. The prices have not yet been commented on.
New prototype is template …
… for the first production models
Technical details
However, it is made a little more specific for the hardware. Afeela vehicles are said to be able to handle level 3 automated driving, but under “restricted conditions”. Level 2+ driver assistance should then take over tasks in situations such as city traffic. The prototype now presented has 45 cameras and sensors inside and outside the vehicle. The computing power is realized via Qualcomm’s “Snapdragon Digital Chassis” auto platform.
Afeela: Sony and Honda’s new electric car brand
Last but not least, the partners are announcing a collaboration with the developer Epic Games, but the marketing material only provides very vague phrases, such as “exploring new entertainment options through digital innovations such as the Metaverse.” Cooperation in the field of on-board entertainment seems certain, but the partners could also complement each other well in the field of augmented reality (AR).
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