Rumours have been swirling for years that Sony wants to get into the electric vehicle industry. After it revealed its first Vision-S concept, many thought it was just a publicity stunt. However, the company insists it is serious about the market and sees it as a natural extension of its technological prowess. A newly formed company and partnership, Sony Honda Mobility, has officially unveil its first SUV EV prototype, called the Afeela.
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The company has said that the Afeela will form the basis of its eventual electric vehicle that is expected to come to market in 2025.
Sony pitched the partnership as a bid to “fill the world with emotion through the power of creativity and technology.” That likely means you can expect high-tech interiors and fancy entertainment systems designed to help you forget that you’re stuck in rush-hour traffic. It added that it wants to create a mobility system “centred around safety, entertainment and adaptability.”
“Although Sony and Honda are companies that share many historical and cultural similarities, our areas of technological expertise are very different,” said Honda CEO Toshihiro Mibe. “Therefore, I believe this alliance which brings together the strengths of our two companies offers great possibilities for the future of mobility.”
At the unveiling at the Consumer Electronics Show 2023, Sony executives shared some details about the upcoming car for the first time. There will be a total of 45 sensors and cameras throughout the car, with 14 cameras being on the exterior. All these sensors are included to assist with its self-driving capabilities, of course, expected to be a major selling-point of the Afeela. The vehicle will also include a grille-mounted ‘Media Bar’ that can be used to display relevant charging and vehicle information. It “allows intelligent mobility to express itself to surrounding people using light, enabling interactive communication between mobility and people,” according to the company’s statement.
