Sony-Honda EV Alliance Unveils Afeela Brand and Qualcomm Partnership

Yasuhide Mizuno, chairman and chief executive officer of Sony Honda Mobility, speaks in front of an Afeela prototype car during a press event at the 2023 Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas on Thursday. | BLOOMBERG

Sony gave a glimpse of the Afeela, which sports rounded corners and a sleek black roof, at the CES 2023 technology trade show in Las Vegas. The car will use technology from hardware maker Qualcomm Inc, including its “Snapdragon” digital chassis.

The Sony-Honda electric vehicle alliance unveiled a new brand and its prototype car on Thursday while also announcing a partnership with U.S. chipmaker Qualcomm on intelligent mobility technology.

Sony Honda Mobility also said that Epic Games, the producer of blockbuster video game Fortnite, is joining efforts to enhance internet-connected automotive experiences, although it didn’t disclose specifics. Sony has invested in the U.S. video game-maker.

The new prototype silver sedan made its appearance at CES, a major tech trade show in Las Vegas, as Sony Honda Mobility Chairman and CEO Yasuhide Mizuno announced that the new brand is called Afeela. The first model is expected to be delivered in the spring of 2026 in North America and will be based on this prototype.

“Afeela represents our concept of an interactive relationship where people feel the sensation of intelligent mobility and where mobility can detect and understand people and society by utilizing sensing and (artificial intelligence) technologies,” Mizuno said.

The prototype is equipped with 45 sensors and cameras as part of its self-driving technology, with these also detecting the condition of the driver and vehicle. It also comes with a “Media Bar” installed between the front lights that is designed to interact and share various information with people around the vehicle.

In addition, the firm aims to provide quality in-vehicle entertainment utilizing Sony’s strengths in movies, games and music.

Since realizing this vision requires powerful computing, Mizuno said Sony Honda Mobility will work with Qualcomm, saying that the chipmaker will provide its Snapdragon Digital Chassis that can connect vehicles to the cloud.

“We are on a mission to really make everyone and everything connected and intelligent,” said Qualcomm CEO Cristiano Amon.

“The car is one of the greatest examples of this transformation of technology. … Sony Honda Mobility is one of the companies that really understand the potential of this technology and can really bring our technology to those new consumer experiences.”

An Afeela prototype electric vehicle by Sony Honda Mobility is unveiled during a press event at CES in Las Vegas on Thursday. | BLOOMBERG

Sony Honda Mobility said it plans on accepting preorders of its first model in the first half of 2025.

Mizuno has said that 2025 will be a turning point for vehicle electrification, so the firm is accelerating efforts to be ready to enter the market by then.

Sony unveiled its first prototype electric vehicle, the Vision-S, at CES in 2020, and at last year’s event the firm announced its intention to make a foray into the EV business.

The paradigm shift toward EVs and new technologies such as connected vehicles and self-driving convinced Sony and Honda to join forces last March.

While Honda possesses know-how on cars, Sony boasts technological assets, including in the areas of imaging sensors and AI, that are key to developing next-generation vehicles.

January 05, 2023