Technology giant Sony is dipping its toe in the electric car market with the launch of a joint venture with Honda.
The company showed off the prototype of the Afeela electric car brand ahead of CES in Las Vegas, and said it expects to ship cars to Norther America by spring 2026.
The joint venture, Sony Honda Mobility, did not reveal too many details on the upcoming vehicles, but said the prototype car include 45 cameras and sensors to monitor what is going on inside the car and out, and help avoid accidents. It will also develop a strategic technology partnership with Qualcomm on next-generation mobility, with the chip company’s technology set to be used in key features of the car such as telematics and advanced driver assistance. SHM said it planned to enable level 2+ driver assistance in more situations, including urban driving, and aimed to develop level 3 automated driving under limited conditions.
Also in the works is a new entertainment experience for the car, with SHM working with Epic Games on the concepts, and augmented reality for more intuitive navigation.
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Pre-orders for the car are expected to open in the first half of 2025.
The front of the car will include a media bar, which the company said could communicate with people outside the car using lights. A concept video showed the bar indicating charging levels, and weather reports.
Mr Mizuno said Afeela hoped to begin sales of the car in 2025, with those first vehicles delivered to North America by spring 2026.
In other Sony news, the company also revealed more details about its upcoming PlayStation VR2 virtual reality headset, which is set to launch in February. Sony Interactive Entertainment chief executive Jim Ryan Confirmed there would be more than 30 games at launch for the device, which works with the PlayStation 5, including Horizon: Call of the Mountain, No Man’s Sky, and Resident Evil Village. It will also bring Gran Turismo 7 to the virtual reality system, and rhythm game Beat Sabre is also under development.
“The launch line up for PS VR2 will take VR gaming to new heights,” he said. “These games showcase PS VR2’s ability to immerse players and captivate their senses in new ways.“
Sony is also working on a new customisable controller kit, code named Project Leonardo, to make gaming more accessible to players with disabilities, used as a standalone controller or alongside Sony’s dual sense controllers.
Mr Ryan also promised that supplies of the PlayStation 5 should become easier to find at retailers globally from now on. The console has suffered from shortages due to a mix of high demand and the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic and the chip shortage on production.
The console has now sold more than 30 million units worldwide, Mr Ryan said.
