Status: 15.01.2024, 17:08 PM
By: Simon Mones
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Sony-Honda's Afeela is attracting attention at CES in Las Vegas. It is controlled with a PS5 controller. But that's not the only innovative element.
As a result of electromobility, many new manufacturers are entering the market. Interest in car construction is also growing among the tech giants. Rumors about an autonomous vehicle from Apple have been going on for a long time. Xiaomi is already much further ahead and has announced its own electric car. And Sony also wants to enter the car industry together with Honda.
At the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas, the two Japanese companies have now given an update on Afeela's first electric car. Visually, the prototype differs from the first version presented by Sony and Honda last year. Sony also caused a stir in 2022 with the Vision-S 02. But even the presentation made the viewers' eyes wide.
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The president of Sony Honda Mobility, Izumi Kawanishi, steered the Afeela prototype onto the stage with a PS5 controller. "With the help of this controller, I want to show you an aspect of the self-driving vehicle," Kawanishi emphasized before driving the electric car onto the stage.
The Afeela is expected to be available in the US from 2026. © Afeela
"We want to revolutionize the way people move by making mobility interactive and expressive," he explained. For example, the integration of generative AI in collaboration with Microsoft is intended to improve the driving experience. The 4.90-metre-long car is also said to have safety features and advanced driver assistance systems for Level 3 driving, the technology comes from industry giant Qualcomm. And the topic of gaming will also play a role. The Japanese, on the other hand, continue to keep a low profile when it comes to drive technology. The car is expected to be ready for series production soon and will initially be launched in the USA in 2026.
To the delight of YouTube users, Afeela comes with a steering wheel instead of a controller: Worst idea in the history of bad ideas"
But then Afeela's electric car is likely to roll to customers with a normal steering wheel. This is because the use of the PS5 controller was only for demonstration purposes of the prototype. According to Kawanishi, it is unlikely that Afeela will build cars controlled by controllers in the future.
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Maybe it doesn't even need to, because the car is also so well received, as a look at the comments on YouTube shows. And some users are even quite happy that cars can't be controlled with a PS5 controller for the time being:
- "I'm afraid that I've played too much GTA and it would be a bad idea to control a car with a controller."
- "The Afeela Sony Honda car looks super cool!"
- "I can't wait to play Gran Turismo on my AFEELA."
- "When I saw the car drive out with a PS5 controller, I was like, 'Nope. It's the worst idea in the history of bad ideas.'"
(With material from SP-X)