For about four years, Sony and Honda’s motobike teased an electric and self-propelled vehicle. Last year the project was called Afeela. Entering an already crowded market with a new and fresh-sounding name is a steep hill to climb, but the venture thinks it can disrupt by offering a series of “experiences”. new “experience” for the automotive sector.
We recently had the chance to take a closer look at the Afeela prototype, which is in such an early stage that we weren’t allowed to open the hood, trunk or even the storage compartment under the armrest. of the center console. We couldn’t drive it either, but we can better understand the direction Afeela plans to take in-car technology and entertainment.
The first thing to notice is that Afeela blends into the background, even in an almost empty gallery. This is by design. Its shape is neat and solid without the aggressive, uncluttered look of the curves and surfaces typical of many modern designs. That’s because Afeela was created to express its owner’s personality through a variety of customization options.
The average person would hardly know that two of the world’s biggest brands lie behind the tranquil river shape. Both Sony and Honda have not put stickers on the car yet. Indeed, a representative told us multiple times that Sony Honda Mobility is their own product, 50/50 from each company, not Sony or Honda. When asked whether Honda and GMSony’s now-cancelled electric vehicle manufacturing partnership affected the vehicle, with the representative reiterating that Sony Honda Mobility is its own entity and Afeela is the brand. The name appears once on the taillight bar and can, if the driver chooses, also appear on the display where the traditional grille would be.
That piece of pixels is called the Media Bar and can be customized to display a variety of information. It reacts when you approach the car and can show, for example, how much battery the other fee, a pre-programmed theme that matches the interior (more on that in a bit) or a personalized message. On the day we saw the car, it greeted each visitor by name in a welcome message. Presumably there will be a filter for explicit or disturbing images, but SHM admits they haven’t resolved that part yet.
The car also does not have a physical door handle, but only has a button at the base of the window. The doors open via smart electronics, phone apps or facial recognition via cameras in the B-pillar. When asked what would happen if there was no electricity, the representative reminded us that this is initial prototype and SHM will address those concerns before the vehicle goes into production.
The cabin looks like a modern car car model. The panoramic touchscreen spans the width of the dashboard, always visible thanks to the steering yoke. Thankfully, the Afeela still has physical wipers, with the windshield wiper on the left and the gear selector on the right. Two fairly standard-looking four-way buttons for functions like volume, track search, and vehicle information are located on the spokes of the yoke.
Physical climate controls are located between the panoramic display and the center console has Mazda-style dials and four satellite buttons, but we weren’t allowed to use that. Everything can also be controlled on the main touchscreen. At either end of the panoramic screen are two smaller screens that act as digital rearview mirrors. Afeela also has physical external mirrors because relying solely on digital mirrors is illegal in the United States.
The secret of the party here is Afeela’s infotainment interface. The panoramic touchscreen consists of a scanning surface but is functionally divided into three parts. One sits in front of the driver and displays vehicle information, maps, etc. The middle and right sections are where entertainment functions take place, and sections can be swapped with just a tap of a finger.
From a collage of app tiles similar to a Netflix menu, one can choose digital entertainment like movies, video games, even karaoke. And to answer the million dollar question, you can actually play Sony PlayStation games in your car. There’s no actual console on board, but by connecting a PS4 or PS5 remotely, gamers can stop the game at home and pick up where they left off in the car via the controller in car.
Customization options can be mapped to individual driver profiles, but Afeela also comes pre-programmed with “themes” based on Sony products. If superhero fans choose Spider-Man, red and blue lighting as well as web textures will be displayed on the screen, including the external Media Bar. Gran Turismo players can evoke a racing theme in which warning sounds mimic Afeela’s engine and pedestrians impersonating a virtual car. Le Mans racer.
When Afeela starts moving, any movie, karaoke song lyrics or game screen automatically moves to the right so as not to attract the driver’s attention. However, in Afeela’s plans is Level 3 autonomous driving, in which the car can drive itself in certain situations but does not require the driver to be constantly alert. The representative was quick to mention the 800 TOPS (Billions of Operations Per Second) machine learning AI that the car will use to ensure safety and recognize vehicles and pedestrians and adapt to conditions. night events or bad weather. We would not be surprised if such a production system was initially only usable in Very specific conditions
Two additional screens the size of laptop screens are attached to each seatback for the rear passengers. They can be synchronized so all riders can have the same experience, or each can do their own thing. Sound is played through an array of speakers, some located in the seats, as part of Sony’s immersive 360-degree Reality Audio system. Music and sound can feel like they’re coming from any direction, and the rep told us that each occupant will be able to enjoy their own media.
When not doubling as a movie theater, wide maps are projected onto exceptional screen real estate that can be easily manipulated by pinch-to-zoom and seamless 2D to 3D panning. Residents can also view views from Afeela’s many exterior cameras. Afeela will also have an app store where developers can create their own programs compatible with the car. This raises questions about security, but we’re told they’re taking it seriously.
There are also cameras inside to scan the driver’s alertness, but Sony Honda Mobility won’t reveal the number of cameras, sensors or speakers in the car. From what we can see with the naked eye, a charging port exists on the front fenders on both sides and the prototype sits on 245/40-R21 Pirelli P-Zeros. SHM won’t say anything about power source, battery capacity, range, charging port type or price. The representative only said the car will be AWD and that they will accept pre-orders next year with deliveries starting in 2026.
We’ve been promised various interpretations of the mobile living room for a decade. The Afeela may be the closest vehicle to achieving that, even if production is still years away with changes sure to be made. At the very least, the infotainment system seems like it could be rolled into production without much trouble.
We like that the Afeela’s electric vehicle ethos is about having fun rather than trying to be edgy and exciting, but we’re not convinced it breaks enough new ground to sustain an entirely new brand. . If you’ll allow us a bit of pure speculation, perhaps one reason for the separate brand is Honda want to keep its historically excellent sporty driving experience in the era of electrification. On the other hand, Afeela’s focus seems to be on digital dopamine hits and not motivation.
