Sony and Honda name new EV car brand Afeela, unveil prototype at CES 2023

In terms of safety and security, Sony and Honda’s prototype EV will come equipped with 45 cameras and sensors inside and outside the vehicle, with 800 tera operations per second (TOPS) of computing power.

With this prototype EV, the company aims to bring mobility space into entertainment space together by seamlessly merging real and virtual worlds and has started to build new concepts for mobility with Epic Games. According to Mizuno, the car will use the ‘Unreal Engine’ 3-D creation tool from Epic Games, the maker of the "Fortnite" series of games.

In addition to this, SHM will also develop the production model based on this prototype. “Pre-orders are planned to begin in the first half of 2025, sales by the end of 2025, and delivery from spring in 2026 in North America,” said Mizuno. The company also revealed that the new EV would be priced at a premium.

Sony Honda Mobility's new prototype Afeela EV

Sony's this long-awaited push into electric vehicles with Honda aims to show how manufacturers are increasingly focused on the cockpit experience in cars, which will ultimately help increase the potential to sell content via subscription services cars, especially as autonomous driving capabilities improve.

"To realise intelligent mobility, continuous software updates and high-performance computing are required," said Mizuno. “To advance the intelligence of mobility, SoCs from Qualcomm Technologies’ Snapdragon Digital Chassis will be used in key features including AD/ADAS, HMI/IVI, and telematics. SHM is building a strategic technology partnership with Qualcomm Technologies to realize next-gen mobility experience,” he added.

Qualcomm recently launched a new processor, the Snapdragon Ride Flex SoC, that handles assisted driving and cockpit functions, including entertainment. Previously those functions were handled on different chips, and bringing them together can help bring down costs.