At the heart of a high-profile collaboration between two technology and automotive giants, Sony and Honda introduced the Afeela electric sedan as a product of their Sony Honda Mobility (SHM) partnership. The reveal occurred at CES 2024, the flagship consumer electronics expo held in Las Vegas, encapsulating the ambition to merge entertainment tech with next-generation mobility. The event was captured in a video distributed through the show’s official platform, underscoring the spectacle and strategic messaging around this new venture.
During the live demonstration, Izumi Kawanashi, who leads the SHM joint venture, stepped onto the stage to present the vehicle. He operated the car remotely using the DualSense gamepad from Sony’s PlayStation 5, illustrating a hands-on approach to control and showcasing how game-inspired interfaces can translate into automotive applications. This was presented as a demonstration of capabilities rather than a completed, production-ready model, with a focus on signaling the underlying technology and potential use cases rather than claiming market-ready performance at that moment.
Key technical details highlighted during the presentation included the vehicle’s multimedia system, which is designed to leverage Unreal Engine 5.3 to render visual effects on the display inside the cabin. Beyond visuals, the demonstration emphasized the use of neural networks to train the car’s camera systems, simulating a virtual environment to test perception and decision-making algorithms. This approach reflects a broader industry move toward cloud-connected, AI-assisted development where simulated scenarios can accelerate refinement before real-world testing.
Another major facet of SHM’s strategy involves cloud-based computation. Sony Honda Mobility announced a partnership with Microsoft to utilize Azure AI cloud services as part of the Afeela development framework. The collaboration aims to integrate advanced cloud capabilities with the vehicle’s onboard systems, enabling scalable data processing, remote updates, and enhanced AI performance. This allocation of cloud resources is anticipated to support features like telematics, over-the-air software updates, and evolving driver assistance capabilities as the product matures.
Historically, SHM introduced the concept of Afeela at CES a year earlier, in 2023, signaling a multi-year effort to bring a new kind of mobility experience to market. While early communications described the vision and technical direction, specific, final production specifications and performance figures have not been disclosed yet. The broader timeline for market entry projected by SHM points to a 2026 introduction for the Afeela, aligning with industry patterns of staged development, pilot testing, and gradual scale-up before widespread availability. As with many automotive projects born from joint ventures between tech and automotive players, the path involves balancing software-driven features with hardware readiness, supply chain considerations, and regulatory compliance across key markets in North America and beyond.
In a related industry note, Xiaomi has previously announced its own foray into electric mobility with plans to unveil its first electric car, signaling the growing interest from consumer electronics and tech brands in expanding into end-use transportation. The market context for these efforts involves intensified competition, evolving battery technology, and consumer demand for connected, software-defined vehicles that deliver on safe, reliable, and engaging user experiences.
Citations and attributions follow the event coverage and official announcements from CES 2024 as presented by SHM and partner entities. This summary reflects the information shared during the event regarding the Afeela concept, its development framework with Unreal Engine 5.3 for in-vehicle visuals, neural-network-powered perception training in simulated environments, and the collaboration with Microsoft Azure to enable cloud-enabled AI capabilities. The overall emphasis remains on demonstrating technological trajectory and collaboration rather than announcing a ready-for-sale product at the time of the show, with the expectation that further refinements and official specifications would accompany a later rollout.