Sony has publicly shown for the first time a new car it will produce with Honda. The car, announced in October, appeared for public viewing last week at the Consumer Electronics Show, or CES, in Las Vegas, Nevada.
The electric vehicle, called Afeela, will use technology from Qualcomm, including its “Snapdragon” digital chassis.
Sony’s long-awaited foray into electric vehicles shows how manufacturers are increasingly paying attention to the driver experience in cars.
Yasuhide Mizuno is the CEO of Sony Honda Mobility. He said at the CES trade show, “To realize smart mobility, continuous software updates and high-performance computing are needed… To this end, we will work closely with Qualcomm.”
Qualcomm recently released a new processor, the Snapdragon Ride Flex SoC, which manages both assisted driving and cockpit functions, including entertainment. Previously, these functions were handled on different chips or computer processors. Combining the two could help cut costs, a Qualcomm representative told Reuters.
Kenichiro Yoshida, chairman, president and CEO of Sony Group Corporation, stands in front of the recently unveiled Afeela electric vehicle prototype, a joint venture between Sony and Honda, during a Sony press conference ahead of the start of the CES technology show on Wednesday, January 4 2023 in Las Vegas. (AP Photo/John Locher)
Mizuno said Sony is looking to leverage its traditional strengths in sensors. Afeela will have more than 40 sensors. The car will use the 3-D creation tool “Unreal Engine” from Epic Games, the creator of the “Fortnite” game series.
For Honda, the project with Sony could allow it to speed up what has been a slow transition to electrics. It has also struggled over the years to make gains in the luxury car market with its Acura brand.
“Since safety and security are essential to mobility, we will integrate Sony’s sensors and Honda’s safety along with other smart technologies,” Mizuno said.
The car will be manufactured at one of Honda’s 12 plants in the United States. The US was chosen for the launch because electric vehicles are already popular there. Japan is Honda’s second home market, and other markets, including Europe, will follow, but no dates have been set.
Mizuno said the company expects to take early orders in the first half of 2025 and ship the first cars to buyers in North America in the spring of 2026.
I’m John Russell.
John Russell adapted this story from reports by The Associated Press and Reuters.
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Words in this story
chassis – n. frame on which the main parts of the car are built
mobility – n. the ability or tendency to move from one position or situation to another, usually a better one
cockpit – n. the area in a boat, airplane, etc., where the pilot or driver sits
function – n. the special purpose or activity for which a thing exists or is used
luxury – adj. the kind of expensive produce that buyers want but don’t need
brand –n. a group of products produced by a company that are sold under a particular name
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