Honda and Sony show prototype of their electric car that will be released in 2026
Honda and Sony, through their joint company Sony Honda Mobility, have unveiled a prototype of the electric car that they will release together in 2026. It is a car that will be released under the new brand name Afeela.
The companies repeat the intention that preorders are planned for the first half of 2025, followed by sales by the end of 2025 and deliveries in the spring of 2026. Only North America is mentioned, but Japan was previously mentioned in the second half of 2026 is next and then Europe.
The shown prototype will have a total of 45 cameras and sensors inside and outside the vehicle. The manufacturer mentions, among other things, the integration of time-of-flight sensors, but lidar, ultrasonic sensors and radar will also be present. Socs from Snapdragon Digital Chassis are used to process all data. This is an adaptable package of systems that car manufacturers can purchase from Qualcomm.
The aim is to enable self-driving capacity in accordance with level 3 autonomy ‘under limited circumstances’, but level 2 including driving assistance will be relevant in more situations. At levels 0 to 2, the human driver has to monitor the driving environment, but from level 3 the system takes care of that. Level 3 is therefore seen as the first level where autonomy can actually be spoken of.
A look at the interior shows an open steering wheel and multiple screens and augmented reality can be used to provide the driver with navigation in an ‘intuitive’ way. Furthermore, it is emphasized several times that it is working together with Epic Games to develop ‘new concepts for mobility and entertainment’. There will be advanced entertainment options and interactivity will also play an important role, but it is not clear what exactly the game company will do.
The previously announced specifications are probably still applicable for the production car, namely two electric motors that drive all wheels and are good for a combined power of 400 kW or 536 hp. This makes a sprint from 0 to 100 km/h possible in 4.8 seconds. There is no information yet about the battery pack or the price.