Sony and Honda’s Afeela self-driving car is not quite giving us the feels

Three years after introducing its first Sony Electic Car Vision-S prototype, Sony and development partner Honda are back with a self-driving electric car prototype, but it’s not necessarily much more attractive.

The brand new “Afeela” prototype was taken to the stage during Sony’s CES 2023 press conference, where it was met with excitement, if not excitement, then certainly curiosity.

The design is no more traditional than the Vision-S, less sporty, but no less nimble.

More than 45 sensors are arrayed around the body and inside the car, Sony says, though it’s not clear whether Sony and Honda are building a self-driving car or a portable PlayStation 5 — Sony’s partner Unreal uses game graphics to build realistic simulations of the environment one might assume. The car she could eventually use to help her navigate the real world.

Not surprisingly, Sony handed over its movie, music and game content to its internal rear dual screens. There’s another unusual screen, too: placed on the front fender, it can be customized to communicate a message, or even to show your favorite character in a Sony movie.

It is also built on Qualcomm’s Digital Chassis Platform, a suite of technical solutions for developing intelligent vehicles, which, among other things, enables Afeela to have a “digital twin” that can navigate roads in simulation before it does the real thing.

Simply put, this prototype has no shortage of next-generation technology; However, the looks are far less conceptual than the Vision-S. Perhaps that’s because Sony now has a schedule for deliveries of the first Afeela: pre-orders open in 2025, and first vehicle deliveries are scheduled for 2026.

As for the name, well, it’s the kind of thing you’d come up with if you were isolated for two weeks in a room with other desperate CEOs. I’m sure it was the last thing that was suggested, and in desperation, they seized it. Sony seems very happy to have managed to squeeze the word “feel” into the brand’s name — although the reaction on social media, as you might have guessed, has been It wasn’t nice (Opens in a new tab).