Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas

Sony and Honda, which has been working on a joint venture (official name: Sony Honda Mobility) for some time to launch an all-electric vehicle brand, announced its name and presented the first prototype at the Consumer Electronics Show which is currently being held in Las Vegas, Nevada.

The first model from the Afeela brand is the all-electric sedan, the name of which has not yet been revealed. We can expect a presentation of the finished product somewhere in 2025, when the company will accept pre-orders. Deliveries to buyers will begin in the spring of 2026, if all goes as planned. The model will be produced in the United States.

Like most other automakers working on the next generation of electric vehicles, Sony Honda Mobility Joint Chief Executive Officer Yasuhido Mizuno emphasized the high level of interaction and connection between the new model and its owners:

Afeela represents our concept of interactive relationship, where people feel the sense of intelligent mobility, and where mobility can feel and understand people and society through sensing and artificial intelligence technologies. »

– Yasuhido Mizuno, CEO, Sony Honda Mobility

The first Afeela is a sedan not unlike the Tesla Model 3 with what looks like an aerodynamic, yet down-to-earth exterior design. Among the distinguishing elements are the light bars at the front and the rear, as well as the oversized wheels on which the car rests.

• Sony and Honda present the first concept of the Afeela brand at CES 2023.

• Afeela is the name of a new electric vehicle brand jointly launched by the two companies.

• Sony Honda Mobility will accept orders for the model from 2025, ahead of a planned launch in 2026.

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Inside, designers have become more luxurious, especially with a half-moon steering wheel and a dashboard screen that literally stretches from door to door (it is framed by screens that replace the outside mirrors). We can expect some of the more awesome bits to be dropped on their way to the final production model.

The items most likely to survive the transition are the floating console between the front seats, the screens on the backs of the front seats and the massive panoramic roof.

The initial version of this first Afeela model is equipped with 45 cameras and sensors, indicating a range of advanced driver assistance systems. The car is also equipped to ensure Level 3 autonomous driving on the motorway and Level 2 autonomy in the city.