Honda and Sony have announced their jointly developed car will be sold under the newly developed Afeela brand.
Besides revealing the brand name, the companies introduced a new prototype which is designed to preview an upcoming production model. Pre-orders are slated to begin in the first half of 2025 with sales beginning later that same year. However, deliveries aren’t slated to begin in North America until the spring of 2026.
The companies didn’t go into many specifics, but said the Afeela name was selected as it “expresses ‘feel’ which is at the center of the mobility experience considered by Sony Honda Mobility.”
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Putting the questionable name aside, the car features a streamlined design and looks much more production ready than the Vision-S concept that was unveiled at CES three years ago. While Sony Honda Mobility was coy on specifics, the model features a bland, but curvaceous front end with slender headlights and a distinctive “media bar.”
The latter acts as an interactive display and it can show everything from the Afeela name to animations depicting the weather. Sony Honda Mobility said they envision the media bar will have a wide range of possible displays that will be fueled by “various partners and creators.”
The company went on to say the car’s “minimal decorative lines and form remind that of a spaceship.” We’ll beg to differ, but the model looks suitably futuristic as it sports a minimalist design and aerodynamically optimized 21-inch wheels. They’re joined by a flowing black roof and a clean greenhouse. Other notable highlights include a rear light bar and a pronounced shoulder line.
In terms of size, the Afeela prototype measures 192.7 inches (4,895mm) long, 74.8 inches (1,900mm) wide, and 57.5 inches (1,460 mm) tall with a wheelbase that spans 118.1 inches (3,000mm). That means the model is slightly smaller than the Mercedes EQE, which is 196.6 inches (4,994 mm) long and has a more generous 122.8 inch (3,119 mm) wheelbase.
A High-Tech And Minimalist Cabin
Given the Sony connection, it’s not surprising to learn the cabin is high-tech and features a large display that spans the width of the interior. It’s broken up into multiple sections as displays for the digital side mirrors are on the outside edges, while an expansive digital instrument cluster resides in front of the driver. To the right is an infotainment system, which flows into a display for the front seat passenger.
Elsewhere, we can see a yoke-style steering wheel and a minimalist dashboard that is largely devoid of switchgear. Designers also equipped the prototype with a floating center console, which features a rotary dial as well as dedicated Home and Mute buttons.
While headroom is likely to be a concern given the dramatic roofline, the rear passenger compartment features a dual screen entertainment system as well as ambient lighting on the door panels. Rear seat passengers can also take a break from the screens and turn their attention to the sky thanks to a massive panoramic glass roof.
Sony Honda Mobility said they’ll be “pursuing the possibility of new entertainment by making full use of digital [technology] such as [the] Metaverse.” They went on to hint at Epic Games integration, which isn’t too surprising as BMW, Hyundai, Kia, Genesis, and Polestar have all made recent announcements about bringing games into cars.
Speaking of tech, Sony Honda Mobility said they aim to equip the car with augmented reality navigation. This technology can already be found in an assortment of vehicles and will likely arrive in many more before the production model is launched in 2026.
Set To Feature A Level 3 Semi-Autonomous Driving System
As you’ve probably noticed by now, the Afeela prototype is equipped with an assortment of cameras and sensors inside and out. Sony Honda Mobility says there’s a total of 45 and they’re aiming to equip the vehicle with a Level 3 semi-autonomous driving system. This suggests the car will be highly automated in certain scenarios and hand off the task of driving to humans when needed.
Despite aiming for Level 3 automation, the company said they will also work on the development of Level 2+ driving support functions. As a result, it’s possible a Level 2 system will come standard, while a Level 3 system will be optional. That remains to be seen, but SHM noted they’ll use SoCs from Qualcomm and utilize the Snapdragon Digital Chassis.
Specifications Are Largely A Mystery
Since Sony Honda Mobility didn’t say much about the model, it’s not surprising that specifications are shrouded in secrecy. That being said, the company confirmed the prototype has all-wheel drive and that implies a dual-motor setup.
The car’s range is also a mystery, but one of the interior images shows a range of 234 miles (377 km) with about a 75-80% charge remaining. We probably shouldn’t read too much into that and we’ll likely have to wait years until we find out the final number.
