Sony unveils e-vehicle prototype in joint venture with Honda
Los Angeles, US, Jan 4 (EFE).- Japan’s Sony on Wednesday unveiled a prototype of its electric car, Afeela, which the technology and entertainment firm is jointly developing with Honda.
The four-door sedan manufactured at Honda’s North American factory was shown for the first time at CES in Las Vegas, one of the biggest tech events in the world.
“The design of this prototype aims to create a new value standards for mobility,” Sony Chairman and CEO Yasuhide Mizuno told reporters.
Mizuno said the elements of a car were shifting from power and performance to software, networks, and user experiences.
He said Afeela aimed to highlight the essential values and sublimate them into a pure and strong design.
“Our prototype is equipped with a total of 45 cameras and sensors inside and outside the vehicle,” he said.
He said in-car cameras and time-of-flight sensors would detect the driver’s and car’s situation to help avoid accidents.
Mizuno said the project brings in a new mobility experience created from three axis vertebra: autonomy, augmentation, and affinity “for pleasant mobility space.”
“We aim to evolve mobility space into entertainment and emotional space, by seamlessly integrating real and virtual worlds, and exploring new entertainment possibilities through digital innovations such as the metaverse.”
He said the joint venture would develop the production model based on the prototype.
Pre-orders are expected to begin in the first half of 2025, sales by the end of 2025, and delivery in North America in spring 2026. EFE
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