Sony Honda Mobility Inc. (SHM) has announced a new brand “AFEELA”, and unveiled a prototype as a new type of mobility, at CES 2023. Representative Director, Chairman and CEO Yasuhide Mizuno hosted the stage at a press conference held on Wednesday, January 4 for the public unveiling. So let’s learn more about AFEELA and the Prototype model at below.
What is AFEELA?
According to SHM, the new brand “AFEELA” represents “FEEL,” which is at the center of the mobility experience. AFEELA expresses an interactive relationship where people “FEEL” mobility as an intelligent entity, and mobility “FEELs” people and society using sensing and network IT technologies.
SHM Prototype
As for the the Prototype, SHM will develop the production model based on this prototype, and plans to start taking pre-orders in the first half of 2025, commence sales by the end of 2025, and to begin delivery from spring in 2026 in North America.
The design of this prototype aims to create a new value standards for mobility. However, the company has stated they have reexamined the individuality and form of vehicle design up until now, and will continue further refining on the Prototype.
For now, the exterior of the Prototype features “Media Bar” which allows intelligent mobility to express itself to surrounding people using light, enabling interactive communication between mobility and people.
Meanwhile, the interior receives a gentle rounded tone and wrapping the occupants in a soft cocoon. The interior not only delivers comfortable atmosphere, but designed to be as simple as possible, minimizing distracting ornamentation and colors. The company is claiming it will help the public to realize a people-centric experience that provides functionality that people want.
SHM also shared their value-added concepts based on 3A’s (Autonomy, Augmentation, Affinity) to public which are:
Autonomy
- Provide pleasant mobility space founded on safe and secure technologies.
- Aim to develop Level 3 automated drive under limited conditions and to enable Level 2+ driver assistance in even more situations such as urban driving.
- Planning to use the SoCs from Qualcomm Snapdragon Digital Chassis for 800 TOPS maximum computing performance as hardware.
- The prototype is equipped with a total of 45 cameras and sensors inside and outside the vehicle. In-car cameras and Time-of-Flight (ToF) sensors detect the driver and car’s situation to help avoid accidents.
Augmentation
- A new HMI will be introduced, providing a personalized in-car experience through cloud-service connectivity, realizing entertainment beyond driving.
- The company aim to evolve mobility space into entertainment and emotional space, by seamlessly integrating real and virtual worlds, and exploring new entertainment possibilities through digital innovations such as the metaverse. The company have started to build new values and concepts for mobility with Epic Games.
- We aim to provide intuitive navigation through augmented reality (AR) using our sensing technology.
Affinity
- The companywill build an open community for not only customers, but our automotive industry partners, leading players in other industries, and the creative community which will take on the challenge with us to create new mobility entertainment.
The company also confirms initiatives in new services will evolve and grow through continuous software updates via the 5G network.