Sony provided an update on the 2026 Afeela electric sedan being co-developed with Honda at CES 2024, but only briefly, and only after 30 minutes or so of discussion about the company's media and gaming efforts.
That nicely summarized Sony's priorities. Sony Honda Mobility, the business entity created to bring the Afeela brand to market, is making clear that the brand's EVs will be a platform for apps and entertainment. One of the topics discussed in the press conference was a "digital platform for co-creation" that will allow app developers to easily run third-party apps and services on Afeela infotainment systems.
Afeela electric sedan prototype as shown at CES 2024
The cars will also include a "conversational personal agent" using AI from Microsoft, and features that fuse the virtual with reality from Polyphony Digital, the game studio that produces "Gran Turismo"—one of the top Sony PlayStation titles.
In yet another tie-in to its gaming business, an Afeela prototype was driven onstage at Sony's press conference with a PlayStation 5 controller. That's just for show, but Sony said the production Afeela EVs will have driver-assist systems informed by AI.
However, the Afeela prototype was essentially as presented at CES a year ago. Some visual changes were obvious—side mirrors now look U.S.-spec, and front and rear details appear production-ready—but the interior is the same, complete with a steering yoke.
Afeela electric sedan prototype as shown at CES 2024
Sony confirmed that no significant changes were made, but said the car will charge at up to 150 kw. That will likely be no leading edge by the time it arrives in 2026.
Sony first hinted at EV plans with its Vision S concept, which was unveiled at CES 2020. It later followed that up with the Vision S-02 SUV concept, before confirming the partnership with Honda in March 2022.
Later that year, Sony and Honda confirmed that the production version of the Afeela sedan would be U.S.-built, and would arrive in 2026. Sony hasn't yet suggested whether a production SUV akin to the Vision S-02 concept is U.S.-bound, though.
