Proper now, China’s electrical car sector is delivering a era of latest automobiles so high-tech that they make among the finest rides in America appear to be no matter hooptie you drove in highschool. They’re electrical, crammed with screens and software program options, and related. Right here’s an incredible instance: the Xiaomi SU7, the primary EV from the smartphone large, which set China on fireplace with its high-tech and smooth design and offered 135,000 models in its first full yr.
It’s clear that if Japan, Europe, and the U.S. wish to compete, corporations might want to crew up and construct the sorts of high-tech automobiles China already has—and quick. That’s precisely what Sony and Honda purpose to do with their new luxury-tech EV model, Afeela. Beneath a three way partnership generally known as Sony-Honda Mobility, the Afeela model plans to launch its first automobile, a $60,000 luxurious sedan, in 2026.
Chances are you’ll acknowledge this idea—Sony and Honda debuted it at CES 2024, with buyer orders set to open this yr. Afeela has additionally promised an SUV and a less expensive mannequin down the road. And an up to date model of the prototype is set to debut at CES 2025 this night.
Forward of that occasion, InsideEVs was invited to take a look at a prototype of that first mannequin in New York, and I used to be curious to get a take a look at it: Did it work? Is that this method to EVs one thing Individuals might be fascinated by, and might the 2 corporations really deliver it to fruition?
At first look, the Afeela appears just like the generic-drug equal of a Lucid Air, or maybe a contemporary incarnation of a Saab 9-5. Both means, it’s smooth and inoffensive. However inside is the place issues get thrilling. Up entrance, a curved, high-res show stretches from one side-view mirror to the opposite (in some markets, the Afeela received’t have mirrors in any respect, simply cameras.) You’ll be able to drag and drop maps, music menus, motion pictures, and video games from one facet to a different, and the front-seat passenger can watch a film with out glare distracting the motive force. In fact, there are Sony tablets mounted to the seatbacks in order that passengers within the surprisingly spacious again seat can hold themselves entertained, too.
Earlier than anybody asks: Sure, you may play Fortnite within the Afeela, however solely when the automobile is stopped. The consultant couldn’t inform me whether or not gameplay required a close-by wi-fi connection to a PS5 (driveway at residence) or whether or not a extra distant connection was doable (workplace parking zone throughout a lunch break), however I’d need to think about it’s the latter. That turned a theme: I might ask for particulars on a characteristic, and would obtain a solution of “keep tuned.”
As of late, Sony might not carry fairly the high-tech smartphone model cachet of an Apple—or a Xiaomi—however its gadgets have undeniably modified realms of non-public leisure. The Walkman turned bringing music with you right into a pocket-sized proposition, whereas the PlayStation remains to be probably the most profitable line of gaming consoles ever produced. Pair that shopper intuition with Honda’s engineering may and Sony’s veritable treasure trove of a content material library, and issues get promising.
Constructing automobiles is tough, particularly in at the moment’s panorama of unsure tariffs. Afeela clearly has a methods to go earlier than the rubber meets the street. I’m rooting for Sony and Honda although, as a result of this idea reveals a real intent to compete with China in methods nobody else has.
Take a look at the total video above for extra on the Afeela’s tech. Do you assume it might succeed right here?
