Sony and Honda show off a prototype of the electric vehicle “Afeela,” which uses technology from Qualcomm.
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On Wednesday, Japan’s Sony (NYSE:SONY) showed off a prototype of the new “Afeela” electric cars it will make with Honda. The company said it would use its large amount of entertainment content to become a player in next-generation cars.
At the CES 2023 technology show in Las Vegas, Sony showed off the Afeela, which has rounded corners and a sleek black roof. The car will use technology from the hardware company Qualcomm (NASDAQ:QCOM), such as its digital chassis called “Snapdragon.”
Sony’s long-awaited move into electric cars—it announced a joint venture with Honda in March—shows that car companies are paying more attention to the cockpit experience, which could lead to the sale of content through subscription services as autonomous driving gets better.
Yashuhide Mizuno, the CEO of Sony Honda Mobility, said at the trade show, “In order to achieve intelligent mobility, we need continuous software updates and high-performance computing.” “We will work closely with Qualcomm to make this happen.”
Qualcomm released the Snapdragon Ride Flex (NASDAQ:FLEX) SoC on Wednesday. This is a new processor that can handle both assisted driving and cockpit functions such as entertainment. A Qualcomm executive told Reuters that putting these functions on the same chip can help bring down costs since they used to be on different chips.
Sony also wants to use its sensors to do what it does best. Mizuno said that the Afeela will have more than 40 sensors. Epic Games, the company that makes the “Fortnite” games, will use their “Unreal Engine” 3-D creation tool to make the car.
Honda’s slow transition to electric cars may be sped up by its partnership with Sony. Over the years, it has also had trouble making progress in the luxury car market with its Acura brand it has also had trouble making progress in the luxury car market with its Acura brand. The new EV will cost more than other cars, the venture said.
The joint company between Sony Group Corp. and Honda Motor Co. Ltd. plans to sell its first electric cars in North America by the beginning of 2026.
In Tokyo trade, Sony shares went up 1.6%, while Honda shares stayed the same. The main index, the Nikkei 225, didn’t change much.