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Afeela: Sony and Honda entered a collaboration to create an innovative electric vehicle (EV) prototype.
The partnership brings together two behemoths, each of which has a particular area of specialty.
On Wednesday, Sony unveiled the Afeela electric vehicle prototype at the CES in Las Vegas.
The EV
The joint mobility electric vehicle (EV) prototype known as the Afeela was created in conjunction between Sony and Honda.
It is a small, lightweight vehicle created especially for urban use to give city people a practical, environmentally friendly mobility option.
The Afeela is equipped with state-of-the-art technology, a sleek, modern style, and robust driver-assisting systems created by Sony.
The car will have more than 40 sensors, including lidar, radar, ultrasonic, and cameras.
They will assist with object recognition and autonomous driving.
More than just a vehicle
There are still many questions about the vehicle.
The CEO of Sony Honda Mobility, Yasuhide Mizuno, states that the firm created a unique electric vehicle utilizing its knowledge of artificial intelligence, augmented reality, entertainment, and virtual reality.
“Afeela represents our concept of an interactive relationship where people feel the sensation of interactive mobility and where mobility can detect and understand people and society by utilizing sensing and AI technologies,” said Mizuno.
The CEO claims that the vehicle will aim to encapsulate three ideas: autonomy, augmentation, and affinity.
Presentation
The Afeela’s presentation on Wednesday was very different from the original design Sony exhibited at CES three years prior.
During the recent presentation, a sedan was on display with a light bar across the front, a high-gloss black top, and a closed-off grille.
With vivid highlights above them and dark hubcaps, the wheels themselves had a striking appearance.
According to one description, the prototype resembled a cross between a Porsche 911 and a Lucid Air.
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Pricing
The Sony Honda EV is a high-end electric vehicle that will rival Mercedes-Benz, Volvo, Audi, and BMW in terms of quality and price.
Sony anticipates that its software will offer subscription services, for which car owners would probably need to make ongoing payments to access advanced features.
Initial concept
When Sony debuted its Vision-S car concept at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas in January 2020, it was greeted with high anticipation.
It was a prototype, not the final product, demonstrating Sony’s ideas and improvements.
The Vision-S provides its passengers with a variety of entertainment and music options in addition to its transportation features.
It had a large touchscreen display that could be used to access music, movies, and other forms of entertainment, as well as several built-in speakers.
The Vision-S was initially solely intended to demonstrate what Sony was capable of achieving with a vehicle.
Sony asserted that it had no plans, however, reports of their collaboration with Honda started to circulate in early 2022.
Production and release
At a Honda plant in the US, the development of Sony Honda automobiles will begin.
However, they didn’t provide any specifics regarding the number of cars they wished to produce.
The Afeela will be made available in the US in 2026, then in waves in Japan and Europe.
In 2025, the cars will be ready for preorder.
Other ideas
The Afeela was expected to contain a built-in PS5 and other entertainment capabilities.
Yasuhide Mizuno claims that the idea was to create hardware analogous to that found in automobiles and specially designed for the network and entertainment Sony Honda Mobility wants to provide.
Sony and vehicles
Technological improvements by Sony depend on the automobile sector.
The business has long researched and invested in electric automobiles.
Additionally, according to Sony, EVs have the potential to lessen dependency on fossil fuels, enhance air quality, and advance the transition to a more sustainable future.
The corporation sees vehicles as a potent medium for delivering its technologies and services to clients.
It is constantly looking for innovative ways to employ its expertise to create unique, worthwhile experiences and products for drivers and passengers.
Sony is interested in creating additional technologies and products for the automobile sector, such as intelligent driver support systems and in-car entertainment systems.
Honda EVs
In addition to the Aleefa, Honda is also creating a different series of electric vehicles.
The Prologue is being produced with the assistance of General Motors.
The Prologue, Honda’s first long-range EV, will go on sale in North America in 2024.
The company will also release 30 hybrid battery-electric fuel-cell vehicles by the end of the decade, with this particular type being a part of the inaugural wave.
In addition to its first electric car, the business will also use GM’s Ultium platform to power an unnamed Acura model for 2024 based on the Precision concept.
Reference:
Sony and Honda just announced their new electric car brand, Afeela
