Sony Honda Mobility unveils Afeela EV, drives it with PS5 console

Sony Honda Mobility unveiled the prototype of its Afeela electric vehicle at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas on Wednesday, driving the car onto the stage using a Play Station 5 console.

The brand will form the first electric car offering of the joint venture, and will go on sale in North America in 2026.

The car would leverage Sony’s experience with AI, entertainment, virtual reality, and augmented reality to present a unique vehicle, Sony Honda Mobility CEO Yasuhide Mizuno said.

“Afeela represents our concept of an interactive relationship where people feel the sensation of interactive mobility and where mobility can detect and understand people and society by utilising sensing and AI technologies,” Mizuno said.

While details of the car is yet to be revealed, the EV is reported to use over 40 sensors, including cameras, radar, ultrasonic, and lidar, embedded all over the exterior of vehicle, which, according to  Mizuno, will help Afeela achieve autonomy, augmentation, and affinity.

The Afeela prototype unveiled on Wednesday is much different from the concept sleek concept sedan called the Vision-S that Sony revealed at CES three years ago. The new prototype is a sedan with a light bar across the front, a closed off grille, and a high-gloss black roof. 

The new EV is expected to be placed on a par with the premium brands of Mercedes-Benz, BMW, Volvo, and Audi and priced accordingly. Sony plans to offer software to customers on a monthly subscription basis for select features.

Honda-Sony Mobility was looking to produce a car that works like a PS5 gaming and entertainment platform, according to Mizuno. Sony sees cars, especially EVs, as an extension of its tech and entertainment products.

Honda, however, is developing its own lineup of EVs, starting with the Prologue, which is being built in collaboration with General Motors. The Prologue, which is expected to go on sale in 2024, is Honda’s first long-range EV targeted at the North American market. 

Besides, it has lined up 30 hybrid battery-electric fuel-cell vehicles for release by the end of the decade. Honda said it would be using GM’s Ultium platform to power the Prologue as well as an unnamed 2024 Acura model based on its Precision concept released earlier this year.