Honda and Sony to Jointly Produce Electric Car ‘Afeela’

Sony and Honda have unveiled a new electric car prototype known as Afeela, nearly a year after they announced their plans to collaborate on the production and sale of electric vehicles. The four-door sedan was driven onstage at CES as Sony CEO Kenichiro Yoshida discussed the company’s mobility philosophy, which places an emphasis on the creation of autonomous vehicles that can be turned into moving entertainment spaces.

According to Kenichiro Yoshida, sales of the Afeelas are expected to begin the same year as the first preorders, in the first half of 2025. In the spring of 2026, the first shipments will be delivered to customers in North America.

Sony and Honda have previously stated that the new electric vehicle will initially be manufactured at Honda’s North American plant and will have limited Level 3 automated driving capabilities. Level 3 autonomy means that the car can drive in traffic jams, but the human driver must take over when the system asks.

Today, Sony unveiled brand-new information regarding the vehicle’s design, including the inclusion of external media along the vehicle’s front that enables it to communicate with other motorists and share essential information.

According to Kenichiro Yoshida, they intend to investigate the possibility of media generating a fun and exciting mobility interaction, and the prototype has 45 cameras and sensors both inside and outside the vehicle to ensure safety and security. In order to avoid collisions, the driver’s condition will be monitored by sensors in the cabin.

Kenichiro Yoshida added that Afeela will also offer customers the best entertainment available. The Sony-Honda Joint Venture will incorporate Epics Games’ Unreal Engine, a 3D computer graphics game engine, into their automobiles to aid in the visualization of communication and safety in addition to entertainment in automobiles.