Honda and Sony present the latest evolution of the Afeela, an innovative electric car controlled with the controller of a PlayStation 5!
Honda and Sony present the latest evolution of the Afeela, an innovative electric car controlled with the controller of a PlayStation 5!
During CES 2023, held early last year in Las Vegas, Honda and Sony announced the creation of a new joint electric car brand, Afeela. The occasion was used to show a conceptual version of its first model, an aerodynamic 4.92-meter-long sedan (E segment) that will precede a complete range of technologically advanced premium vehicles.
On the occasion of CES 2024, Honda and Sony have shown the public a prototype much closer to the final model, which will begin production in the United States at the end of 2025. Everything indicates that its arrival in the European market will take until the end of 2026 or the beginning of 2027.
The most notable aesthetic changes are the appearance of conventional rear-view mirrors and slightly redesigned headlights and bumpers, although the general shapes of the body remain unchanged. We also can’t mention the roof arches now seem a little thicker.
Afeela’s sedan boasts a very avant-garde cabin, with a yoke-type steering wheel similar to the one we can find in the Lexus RZ 450e and Tesla Model S, as well as a set of screens that make up an interactive panel that covers the entire width of the vehicle—side-to-side dashboard.
Sony Honda Mobility bets on Artificial Intelligence
The vehicle will offer an unparalleled augmented reality experience thanks to the Unreal Engine gaming engine. Of course, plenty of personal assistants with artificial intelligence will be developed jointly with Microsoft based on Azure OpenAI Service. Nor will it be left out in the section on driving assistants since AI will allow it to learn automatically.
About one of Afeela’s parent businesses, Izumi Kawanishi, president and chief operating officer of the joint venture between Sony and Honda, utilized a PlayStation 5 controller to operate the automobile during the concept presentation on the CES stage. There’s no indication that this feature will make it into a series production vehicle.
Based on Honda’s e: Architecture, the Afeela sedan, will be equipped with an all-wheel drive system consisting of two motors. These machines can each generate 245 horsepower or 180 kW. There will be 91 kWh of capacity in the battery pack. Regarding charging, it will reach a maximum of 150 kW for direct current and 11 kW for alternating current.
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