Sony and Honda, who announced a joint venture to develop and manufacture electric vehicles last year, have revealed the name of their new car brand. It will be known as Afeela.
Sony Honda Mobility CEO Yasuhide Mizuno revealed a prototype of the company’s first car, which appeared to be a mid-sized sedan, during a presentation at the Consumer Electronics Show, but he provided little detail about it. The car will be available for order and purchase in 2025, he said, but the first deliveries will not be made in North America until 2026. The vehicle will be manufactured at one of Honda’s factories.
“The word ‘feel’ is at the heart of this mobility experience,” Mizuno said, explaining that the emphasis will be on sensing and interacting with people.
According to Mizuno, the car will have Honda safety and driver assistance systems, as well as Sony entrainment and interactive features. He stated that when developing the car, the emphasis was on software and user interface technology as well as driving dynamics and performance.
A narrow exterior display screen known as the media bar runs above the car’s front bumper. It will enable the vehicle to display information and interact with people outside the vehicle, according to Mizuno.
Inside, the company is designing interfaces for the vehicle using Epic Games’ Unreal Engine graphics technology, which is used in the production of Fortnite. Other automakers have used Unreal Engine technology, including General Motors, which used it in the Hummer EV. According to him, the car will include a plethora of entertainment options.
Mizuno also boasted about the 45 cameras and sensors both inside and outside the vehicle, some of which detect the driver’s condition to help ensure alertness and safety.
