Japanese conglomerate Sony Group Corp. has introduced a prototype of the new Afeela electric vehicles (EVs) that it plans to create with Honda Motor Co., aiming to use its broad entertainment content to be part of the next-gen automotive industry.
Sony revealed the four-door electric sedan at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas. The Afeela cars are set to be built around US chipmaker Qualcomm’s system-on-a-chip technology, including its Snapdragon digital chassis.
Sony’s and Honda’s Push Into EV
Tokyo-based Sony’s long-awaited plan to venture into the EV space, which it announced with Honda in March 2022, shows manufacturers’ increased efforts in a vehicle’s cockpit capabilities, particularly entertainment.
The cockpit experience in cars offers the opportunity to sell content through subscription services cars, especially as autonomous driving functions make advancements.
Sony Honda Mobility Chief Executive Yashuhide Mizuno stated that continued software updates and high-performance computing are crucial to realizing intelligent mobility, and it is to that end that they would work closely with Qualcomm.
The semiconductor company on Wednesday unveiled a new processor, Snapdragon Ride Flex SoC, that handles cockpit and advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS) and cockpit capabilities, including entertainment.
According to a Qualcomm executive, the two functions were previously handled on separate chips, and putting them on the same chip can help cut costs.
The venture will also integrate Epic Games Inc.’s Unreal Engine, a three-dimensional (3D) computer graphics game engine, into the Afeela to visualize entertainment, communication, and safety.
For Honda, working with Sony could accelerate its electric shift, which has been happening at a slow pace. The Japanese carmaker has also faced difficulty generating profit in the luxury vehicle market with Acura over the years.
Afeela would be priced at a premium, according to the venture.
The first preorders of the Afeela, according to Sony Chief Executive Kenichiro Yoshida, are set in the first half of 2025, with sales due to begin the same year. The first shipments will be delivered to North American customers in the second quarter of 2026.
Sony and Honda previously said the new EV would be originally produced at Honda’s plant in North America and equipped with Level 3 automated driving functions under certain conditions.
