2025 AFEELA（ソニー＆ホンダ）

(2023/10/17▼)

アフィーラのプロトタイプ第一号モデル。虎ノ門ヒルズ ステーションタワー46Fにある「TOKYO NODE HALL」で日本初公開された（会田 肇撮影）。

(2023/01/04▼) Impress Watchより

ソニーは4日(米国時間)、ラスベガスで開催される「CES 2023」にあわせて、ソニーホンダモビリティによる電気自動車(EV)新モデル「AFEELA(アフィーラ)」のプロトタイプを披露した。2025年前半の先行受注と'25年中の発売に向けて開発を進めていく。

プロトタイプでは、45個のカメラ、センサーをボディの内外に搭載。室内のインキャビンカメラやToFセンサーにより、ドライバーの運転状況や走行状態をモニタリング。不慮の交通事故防止を目指す。また、特定条件下での自動運転機能「レベル ３」を目指すとともに、市街地など広い運転条件下での運転支援機能「レベル ２+」の開発に取り組む。

５Ｇネットワークを介して、継続的にソフトウェアアップデートを実施。進化・成長するモビリティを目指す。

AFFELAは、今回のプロトタイプをベースに開発を進め、2025年前半に先行受注を開始し、同年中に発売。デリバリーは2026年春に北米から開始する。

インテリアは、繭で包まれたようなラウンド基調のデザインとし、装飾性を極力なくしてシンプルな配色を徹底。人を中心とし、人が求める機能と体験の実現を目指す。

(2022/06/17▼)

Confirming an earlier report, Sony and Honda have announced the creation of a 50-50 joint-venture aimed at building electric cars. Headquartered in Tokyo, Japan, the company is called "Sony Honda Mobility" and it plans to begin selling cars in just a few short years.

Sony and Honda plan to finalize the deal in 2022; the new company still needs to be approved by regulators. Once it's set up, the two partners will bring their strongest assets to the table. Sony boasts a great deal of experience in network, entertainment, sensing, imaging, and telecommunication technologies — it's the company that brought you innovations like the Walkman and the PlayStation, after all. Honda will contribute decades of car-building expertise. Sony Honda Mobility will begin selling EVs and providing mobility services in 2025.

An important detail is that, as of writing, neither party has outlined what the collaboration will spawn. One possibility is Sony will ask for Honda's help in bringing the Vision-S 01 and/or the Vision-S 02 (pictured) concepts to production. However, the company has previously been hesitant about becoming a carmaker. In 2021, Sony said that "no plans to mass-produce or sell the vehicle." Has it changed its mind?

While this is pure speculation, it's not too far-fetched to imagine that Sony hasn't changed its mind and that it will instead focus on what it does best. Imagine a Honda model with a Sony-designed infotainment system. Or, driving aids powered by Sony's sensing technology. Integrating, say, PlayStation 5 games directly into a car's software could make a cross-country trip in the middle seats of a Pilot exciting.

The emphasis on mobility services is telling, too. This nebulous, overused term means all sorts of different things to all sorts of different people. It can refer to deploying a fleet of electric scooters in a big city, launching a car-sharing service, or something else entirely.

More details about the Sony-Honda tie-up will presumably be released in the coming months.