Latest news with #AFEELA1
Los Angeles Times
26-03-2025
- Automotive
- Los Angeles Times
New Mobility For SoCal
At this year's Consumer Electronics Show, Sony Honda Mobility Inc. (SHM) introduced the world to its first automobile offering, the AFEELA 1. For many in attendance, there was only one follow-up question: 'Where can I get one?' The answer is right here in Southern California. The innovative vehicle, born of a collaboration between electronics giant Sony and longtime auto manufacturer Honda, AFEELA 1 is now available to experience at their new location in the Century City Westfield Plaza for a six-month showcase (with reservations now available online and deliveries beginning by mid-2026). California residents are the only people on the planet who can reserve the AFEELA 1, making this an exclusive opportunity for the state's drivers to experience the future of mobility before the company expands. But what makes AFEELA 1 - and its upending of the typical driving experience – so special? AFEELA 1 is not just a car; it's a bold reimagining of the relationship between people and mobility. A seamless blend of advanced driving software, hardware, entertainment options and sustainably sourced materials, SHM has crafted a vehicle that promises to grow with its users and offer a next-level driving experience. It isn't about getting from point A to point B; it's about creating a journey that's safe, secure and less stressful, thanks to its Advanced Driver Assistance Systems (ADAS) and a bevy of interactive features designed for communication and entertainment. AFEELA 1 revolutionizes driver and passenger experience. A design philosophy underscoring driver and passenger experience creates stunning visuals and audioscapes. The Panoramic Screen offers high levels of visibility, intuitive operation and both on-road information and entertainment. Sony's advanced 360 Spatial Sound technology offers immersive audio experiences and passengers can enjoy videos, music and content. The entire interior functions like an immersive private theater. Innovation also lies in its Intelligent Drive system, powered by 40 sensors on the vehicle and optimized by AI technology. Views of system information are unencumbered due to the uniquely shaped steering wheel and safety features even include a weather-proof digital rearview mirror. AFEELA 1's design philosophy centers around the harmony you'd expect from the collaboration between the two companies, with a flowing 'oval' theme that permeates both its exterior and interior. A sleek shape offers a timeless-yet-modern sensibility that defies the passé. The tech collaboration between Sony and Honda is apparent even on walkup to the AFEELA 1, as the front 'Media Bar' allows for owner customization, displaying messages to drivers and others and allowing individual personalities to shine. While luxe in feel, approximately 70% of the interior surfaces in the AFEELA 1, including seats, door skins, the dashboard and even mats are made from plant-derived and recycled sources, underscoring SHM's commitment to sustainability. AFEELA 1 is now available in two trims: Origin (which starts at $89,900) and Signature, the latter featuring 21-inch wheels, a rear entertainment system, a Center Camera Monitoring System and starting at $102,900 - either can be reserved exclusively by California customers now for a fully refundable $200 fee. Both price points include a complimentary three-year subscription to several features, including the company's Level 2-plus driver assist and an AI-powered personal assistant. As a bonus for U.S. buyers, the vehicle is compatible with the North American Charging Standard (NACS), ensuring ease of charging anywhere. The launch colors include Core Black, Tidal Gray and Calm White. SHM launching its first Southern California showroom in Century City demonstrates the company's belief in the state's forward-thinking focus on mobility. In addition, locations in Torrance and Fremont are opening AFEELA Studios and Delivery Hubs in the second half of the year, with much fanfare surrounding both locations. As AFEELA 1 prepares to make its mark on California, it stands as a testament to what can be achieved with innovation and willing early adopters. For those looking to be part of this exciting journey, the doors are now open for reservations, heralding the arrival of a new chapter in the story of mobility. Make a demo appointment at the Century City showroom here. Reserve your AFEELA 1 here.
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WIRED
05-03-2025
- Automotive
- WIRED
The Future of Mobility Is an Extension of You
The new AFEELA 1 from Sony Honda Mobility is reimagining how drivers connect with their vehicles—and the world around them. Awash in excitement for a self-driving future, autonomous vehicle design often turns the passenger experience into sterile rooms-on-wheels with seats facing one another. But what if manufacturers started with a blank slate? How would the user experience mesh with other pieces of technology in our day-to-day lives? That's not just reimagining the automobile, it's rethinking mobility. AFEELA, a new brand under a joint venture between Sony and Honda—called Sony Honda Mobility—aims to do just that. Under Sony Honda Mobility (SHM), AFEELA's guiding principle is to tap into the key competencies of Sony and Honda, designing an experience that blends immersive entertainment, an open platform for creative expression, and next-generation autonomy all packaged up in a premium EV tuned for the next era of mobility. Announced at CES 2025 and set to be delivered in 2026, the brand's first model, AFEELA 1, is a full-size lift-back sedan replete with pillar-to-pillar panoramic screens, Sony's 360° Spatial Sound technologies, and myriad cabin customization options. It's an EV designed for a near future where, sure, you could spend your commute ruminating on your never-ending list of action items, but you could also be using all those speakers to create a more positive vibe amidst 8 am bridge traffic. Thanks to advanced sensing and computing performance, the AFEELA 1's 40 hardware sensors and Qualcomm Technologies' 800 trillions of operations per second (or TOPS) Snapdragon® Ride™ Platform SoC (System on a Chip)—AFEELA is able to keep the vehicle constantly aware of the world around it. And this intelligence begins as soon as the driver approaches the car. As long as they have the digital key, the AFEELA 1 can detect its driver approaching the car and open the door for them. From there, drivers can use AFEELA Intelligent Drive to select their destination and head off. Those plenitudinous sensors are doing more than opening doors—AFEELA is using all of that silicon to power advanced driver-assistance systems (ADAS) that can support drivers from their home to their destination. If you need to redirect your endpoint or pick some crispy tunes for the ride, AFEELA's personalized voice agent can make those adjustments on the fly. Once you reach your destination, AFEELA can find the ideal parking spot using fused data from the vehicle's LiDAR (light detection and ranging) and camera data. When in motion, the driver's dash layout can use AFEELA's radar and camera sensors to display an immersive sensing view of the surrounding environments via graphics and renderings powered by the latest version of Epic Games' Unreal Engine and real-time vehicle data. In addition to offering better operational awareness under normal conditions, this system can provide a clear view of the road ahead to navigate through adverse lighting conditions or complicated maneuvers, extending a driver's capabilities. Humanity is defined by the art, music, and media that they make and consume, and SHM developed the AFEELA brand and its first production model with self-expression as a foundational core. Between leaving their driveway and exiting the car, the average American commuter spends about 60 minutes driving roundtrip. That is time that, with advanced autonomous vehicles, can be taken back for catching up on emails, but AFEELA envisions so much more than that. Passengers front and rear can play films from the RIDEVU app from Sony and other media partners. Drivers are mechanically shielded from watching content while in motion, but while underway, they will be able to converse with the Personal Agent to get incredibly specific with their music selection. To truly live the 'I heard you liked X so I built Y into the car' meme, owners can even drive a digital rendering of the AFEELA 1 within Gran Turismo 7 —in the very AFEELA 1 they're sitting in. Other than the multitudinous screens, the vehicle's overall interior and exterior design is intentionally subtle—drivers are draped in active noise-canceling tech to create a tranquil environment in which to spend time (or blast tracks in immersive surround sound). This tranquility creates a tabula rasa upon which owners can project their digital personality in ways a color-shifting vinyl wrap never could. After all, like the dad wearing his favorite band T-shirt to preschool drop-off, we all crave connection, and part of that connection is broadcasting our aesthetic preferences as signposts for other enthusiasts. For instance, the AFEELA 1's Media Bar—a digital screen in the front fascia—can be customized to dynamically display messages from informative (like vehicle charge status, warning lights, and the weather) to whimsical (animated lights, the AFEELA logo, and graphics from triple-A gaming titles). Inside the car, the cabin can be augmented with distinct UI themes and lighting profiles, e-Motor Sound effects, and more that reflect your mood. To keep this space fresh, AFEELA has announced that it will develop the Co-Creation Program, an open platform where creators and developers around the world can release content, applications, and services that run on AFEELA and help express a driver's creativity. This commitment to evolution is another AFEELA brand pillar. The AFEELA 1 is outfitted with all of the state-of-the-art sensors that you could possibly want in a car at a time when some production vehicles are being stripped back to the bare minimum viable product. For instance, while many vehicles use radar as standard ADAS equipment to track other vehicles, pedestrians, and cyclists, AFEELA implements both radar and LiDAR, which uses laser pulses to sense the depth, distance, and speed of an object. Though LiDAR has only recently been suitably packaged for consumer vehicles, using both standards in parallel (alongside multiple camera angles) allows a future-state AFEELA to reach the highest levels of autonomous driving. With the hardware properly future-proofed, SHM's engineers can keep developing AFEELA's self-driving capabilities and continuously improve the vehicle's autonomous capabilities through constantly evolving over-the-air updates. As the AFEELA 1 currently sits, it is equipped with the ADAS capabilities one would expect from a next-gen battery-electric vehicle with the addition of connected car features accessible through AFEELA's driver app. The idea that your car is an extension of your identity is not a new one—America's car culture is based on that core belief. With the appropriate budget and know-how, any vehicle can be customized in any number of interesting ways, but those augmentations are very often permanent (and more often than not, ill-advised). Why bother? Like that band T-shirt dad, humans crave individuality. To make our possessions truly ours. There's no greater feeling than walking up to your car in a parking lot and being excited to slip behind the wheel (or in this case, steering yoke). But the ability to be able to tailor every aspect of a vehicular experience to one's own aesthetic at a whim through a mobile app is a novel advancement. Pairing that with next-generation safety and autonomy tech? That's a mobility revolution. Reservations for the AFEELA 1 are currently open with a $200 one-time, refundable reservation fee, and customer cars will start hitting the streets in 2026. Learn more about the future of AFEELA here.
Yahoo
09-02-2025
- Automotive
- Yahoo
Sony teases first of-its-kind EV collaboration packed with high-tech features: 'Revolutionize the travel experience'
This electric vehicle will feature some of the most advanced self-driving technology on the market. Sony and Honda have been developing a brand-new EV, and it's expected to hit the market next year. The Sony-Honda Afeela 1 is an electric sedan equipped with a personal AI agent, high-quality spatial audio technology, a customizable interior, and the North American standard charger. The car even has a screen that can display its charging status, a short message, and "real-time weather, traffic, sports results, and trending information," per Sony-Honda Mobility. Perhaps the most notable attribute is the sedan's self-driving technology. The Afeela is equipped with "a total of 40 sensors, including 18 cameras, 1 LIDAR array, nine radar sets and 12 ultrasonic sensors," according to InsideEVs. The Afeela 1 starts at $102,000, making it one of the most expensive EVs out there. A cheaper version will be released a year later, priced at $86,000. The average cost of a new EV is around $50,000, and that is significantly declining each year. And while these tech features are innovative and promising, the EV doesn't quite measure up in terms of range and charging speed. With an estimated 300-mile range and 150-kilowatt charging speed, "the Afeela 1 [is] far behind many modern EV competitors, especially around that price tag," per InsideEVs. Reserving the upcoming EV will cost $200, though that fee is refundable. Interestingly, Afeela is only taking reservations from California residents. Driving an electric vehicle can save you hundreds of dollars a year on gas. The average EV driver saves "around $116 each month by switching to an EV," SaveOnEnergy calculated. If you're looking for an exact figure, the Department of Energy offers a free tool to help you calculate just how much you'd save on gas by switching to an electric vehicle. Would you trust a self-driving car on a busy city street? Definitely No way Depends on the brand Depends on the situation Click your choice to see results and speak your mind. Plus, EVs are much better for the environment than their gas-powered counterparts. Electric vehicles emit no tailpipe pollution, unlike gas-powered cars, which produce nearly 30% of the United States' planet-warming gas emissions. And though the production processes for EVs do use resources, they're still far more sustainable than that of gas automobiles. Yasuhide Mizuno, chairperson and CEO of Sony Honda Mobility, believes the car will "revolutionize the travel experience." "We are very pleased to unveil AFEELA 1, developed for the era of autonomous driving," Mizuno said. "... AFEELA 1 can be called a buddy, combining advanced software with meticulously refined hardware. We will meet our customers' expectations by providing a safe, secure, and comfortable travel experience." Join our free newsletter for good news and useful tips, and don't miss this cool list of easy ways to help yourself while helping the planet.
