The electric car that Sony and Honda are working on together will be marketed under the Afeela brand. With this new brand, the two Japanese groups want to compete with Tesla, among others; it was announced at a presentation in the run-up to the major tech fair CES in Las Vegas.
More than a year ago, Sony unveiled its prototype for an electric car, the Vision-S. Later, the electronics group joined forces with car manufacturer Honda. The companies collaborate on design and technology, and Honda takes over production.
The joint venture has now shown its first car to the world at CES. That is a sedan packed with dozens of sensors, including cameras and radar. Chip group Qualcomm and Epic Games are also involved in the development. They took care of the 5G connection and the entertainment options.
It may be long before the Dutch see the car driving on the road. The car is planned to go on sale in North America and Japan in 2026. Qualcomm’s CEO spoke at the presentation of “a software-defined vehicle”. Sony said it would keep the Afeela cars constantly updated.
In recent years, Tesla has set a standard for electric cars connected to the internet, with all kinds of technical gadgets and entertainment options on board. Other car manufacturers, including European concerns such as Volkswagen, are trying to develop their own smart cars through collaborations in the tech world to gain market share in this lucrative market.
