Afeela: The Ultimate Computer on Wheels [Honda+Sony New Venture]

Believe it or not, Honda has legitimately shaken hands with Sony to create a new brand “Afeela.” It is going to be an all-new kind of electric vehicle in the automobile industry. 

A few days ago, Kate Murphy from Axios San Diego, reported that “Afeela might be the best example of what people mean when they say cars are becoming “computers on wheels,”

It’s, after all, going to be one of the most handsome electric cars, scheduled for 2026 in the United States of America. Order placement will begin in 2025. The joint venture Sony Honda Mobility will be responsible for the Afeela brand. 

So, what potential does Afeela hold? It’s time to find out today! Read our article till the end, as we will explore all the exciting features of Afeela, and what promises it holds. 

Afeela from Sony Honda Mobility 

The new venture set its routes in June 2022, when both Honda and Sony were still in negotiations. The company officially started on October 13, 2022, under the name “Sony Honda Mobility”

The All Computer on Wheel Concept

Why do you think Afeela is the alternate definition of Computer on Wheels? In short, the new prototype will hold more than 40 sensors, in addition to cameras, radar, ultrasonic, and lidar. 

And that only includes the exterior of the vehicle. Each car can detect objects better and miles away and function autonomously, you have never seen before. 

Yasuhide Mizuno, the CEO of Sony Honda Mobility stated, 

“Afeela represents our concept of an interactive relationship where people feel the sensation of interactive mobility and where mobility can detect and understand people and society by utilizing sensing and AI technologies,”

It will be an entirely software-oriented passenger experience as you get into the car. That’s going to be a large hallmark for automobile brands. 

Concept of Afeela 

The modern Sony Honda Mobility born Afeela is built on three key concepts – 

• Autonomy (Evolving autonomy)
• Augmentation (Expansion of time and space) 
• Affinity (Symbiosis with people and society)

Professionals call it the 3As. As you can see, the two companies combined ideas to offer a completely new and enhanced user experience for riders and passengers. The idea was to improve the definition of autonomy and ergonomics of modern vehicles in Afeela. 

The naming? Oh! That’s even more interesting! The company was so obsessed with the 3As, that they sandwiched the Feel between the two As! It’s interesting ha? 

However, while still in the development stage, features may get a changeover based on requirements, you can expect linear features from Afeela – 

Dashboard Is Entirely Touchscreen Focused

Even though a lot of Honda cars come with a touchscreen dashboard, Afeela will renovate the configuration of their dashboard which will also spread with the width of the car. 

You can fully enjoy full-screen movies, music, navigation, and remote play PlayStation 5 sitting in your car. The options are available for passengers only. However, if you are driving, you can also participate when the car is parked. 

In addition to this, the car may also come with a gaming console without having to use any remote connection. 

Go fully Smart with Facial Recognition

You will be damned! Afeela can open and lock the door for you. It offers a smart facial recognition feature that is not limited to the two functions only. 

The car is smart enough to follow the selected settings from the previous users. It can seamlessly adjust the seat, steering wheel, sound system, dashboard lights, and themes from memory. 

So, for example, if you select the Spider-Man theme, the car will automatically change the lights and images on the interior dashboard to match the theme. If you want, it can also play a theme song of the Spiderman movie 😀 

This new joint venture production Afeela is full of revolution!

The Exterior Screen on the Front Grille

Can you believe it? You can have a full intact exterior screen on the front grille of your car. and that also meets a lot of use.

Such as, this screen can show which theme your car is currently on, the weather, the charging status, and,  in fact, the score of a football game. 

It’s unbelievable! The prototype did go through some tests and demos! Rain droplets and weather icons would pop up on this exterior screen to reveal the temperature and indicate it’s raining in your region! 

Also, if a live game is going on, you would have numbers between the headlights flipped whenever a team makes a goal.

In addition, enjoy some live-action characters such as Spiderman or Fortnite drop between the screen and present you with a breakdance. 

So far, no elaborate or broad information has been provided regarding the genre and detailed features of Afeela. But we are so hopeful about the minimalistic journeys Afeela is going to offer and reduce carbon consumption at its best. 

Public Showdown

Afeela is still in the development stage. On November 5, 2023, Sony Honda Mobility (SHM) had an exhibition at “Japan Mobility Show 2023”. More to come on the sneak peek from this exhibition. 

Here, the joint venture had an entire Afeela booth where representatives talked about the possibilities of future mobility through the AFEELA Prototype exhibit. 

It also represents the idea of themes and how AI is going to establish seamless communication between the user and the vehicle to uphold mobility with sensing technology. The event went on Tokyo Node and went on successfully. 

Last Words 

It may surprise you! But do you know that 30% of the industrial air pollutants come from automobile industries? And we are only talking about in USA! 

Although the batteries of electric cars still leave more carbon footprints than those used in gas-based vehicles, it’s still better in the long term. 

It’s a good thing that, automobile industries are becoming concerned about the situation and want to do something out of it. Most automobile manufacturers are shifting to complete EVs and that includes Honda too! 

Honda decided to go full electrical by 2050, by converting half of its unit within 2030. It shows some promise and improvements. 

With Afeela, a modern definition of cars is going to hit the market like never before, Thanks to the joint venture of Honda and Sony!