AFEELA

Sony and Honda have teamed up to revolutionise the electric vehicle industry. AFEELA, the new brand to look out for, we hope it gives Tesla some challenging competition. ‘Feel’ is one of the most important elements when creating the prototype of this vehicle. Sony and Honda have come out and stated at their press conference that they want people to “feel the mobility as an intelligent entity, and mobility feels people and society using sensing and network IT technologies” (AFEELA, 2023). It all sounds very ‘Avatar’ to us! SHM (Sony Honda Mobility) aims to combine the latest technological advancements with people’s passion for the future. A brand new relationship between people and mobility. 

Now for the car. 

This vehicle is still only a prototype – but SHM expects to start taking sales for AFEELA in the first half of 2025 and the delivery will start in 2026 in North America. Everything about this vehicle will be a revolutionised design, this is to try and advance the intelligence that mobility is capable of. This starts with the partnership they have aligned with Qualcomm Technologies for the new era of mobility experience. 

Exterior

The AFEELA’s exterior has a media bar. Which allows the vehicle to express itself to surrounding people. The intelligent vehicle does this by using light, this is an interactive connection between mobility and the people around it. The information that shows on the screen can inform people around the car what is going on. Things like the percentage of charging, the weather in the surrounding area, and much more. Connecting the vehicle to its outside community. 

Interior

The interior reminds us a little of Tesla’s new approach. A Saloon-like shape that rounds off at the top. SHM (2023) described the shape as a “Soft Cocoon”. A minimalist design with no distracting features or buttons, is the design of the future and so the AFEELA has that. Only necessary physical buttons and definitely no distracting colours. With one main factor driving the design of the interior – that being functionality. Giving every passenger maximum experience in the vehicle as the designers have created a human-centric space for every seat. 

Even though this vehicle is minimalistic, do not be fooled. This vehicle will take your breath away. The entire vehicle is connected to film, tv, and music streaming services and you can even enjoy games via connecting your game console to your cloud network. We suspect that this will only be functionable in the rear seat screens as they do not want to create a distracting atmosphere in the front seats for the driver. All of this is connected to the 360 reality audio that can create a surround sound throughout the vehicle. There is full personalisation available via the in-car infotainment system or through your smartphone device. Meaning personalised modes of colour, climate, seat mobility, gaming, and much more! This vehicle has a lot to offer due to its technological intelligence. 

SHM’s Values

SHM wants to focus on three concepts, they call them the 3As. Autonomy, Augmentation, and Affinity. 

Autonomy will be created through “providing pleasant mobility space founded on safe and secure technologies” (SHM, 2023). The autonomy will further be executed by SHM developing level 3 automated drive (under limited conditions) and enabling level 2+ driver assistance in even more situations than usual; such as urban/city driving. The prototype uses a total of 45 cameras and sensors inside and outside the vehicle. In-car cameras and Time-of-Flight sensors will be able to detect the driver and cars situation, this will help to prevent and avoid accidents. 

Augmentation is produced via the new HMI*4 being introduced. This provides a personalised in-car experience through the cloud. We have witnessed a rise in interconnectivity throughout every aspect of our lives. Naturally, the next step is to entwine our vehicles to it. To evolve our vehicles into an entertaining space, and combining the virtual and real world you can create something innovative and groundbreaking. Especially with the introduction and creation of the Metaverse and VR. One impressive factor that we have noted as being the up and coming element that other companies will follow suit, is the navigation through augmented reality using the sensing technology. We already have Heads-up display, so this technology doesn’t seem so far-fetched. 

Affinity. SHM wants to build a community. Bring people together, and this doesn’t just mean customers, but intelligent, creative and daring designers, engineers, leaders, partners, industries and so many more to manufacture mobility for the new world. 

But what if it becomes outdated before it even gets going? SHM has thought of everything. This vehicle will evolve and grow through the ability to update when needed via the 5G network. 

This is going to be an incredible car that changes the course of the automotive industry forever and we can’t wait to see this prototype come into production! 

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