Sony Honda Mobility unveils Afeela crossover prototype and details AI plans

Sony Honda Mobility unveiled a crossover prototype for its first production car, the Afeela 1, which is already available to order in California with a starting price of $89,900. Observers on the ground said the crossover is hard to distinguish from the Afeela sedan apart from its increased height.

Sony Honda Mobility says the crossover will arrive on sale here in 2028. The company emphasized its AI strategy more than the new body style. It said a "vision-language model" will "elevate" the Afeela’s partially automated driver assist—which currently requires the human to pay attention while the car steers, accelerates, and brakes—into something more fully autonomous, capable of point-to-point driving without any other human input, "at least under some conditions." Izumi Kawanishi, president and COO, said the firm is "constantly reviewing sensor devices and layouts, further improving computing power, and making our End-to-End Driving AI stronger." He added: "As a result, the cabin will evolve into a drive-less environment, reducing the task of manual driving, and providing more freedom to relax and enjoy entertainment content.

In the future, the drive-less environment will transform the cabin into a true 'Creative Entertainment Space.'" Sony Honda Mobility said not having to drive will free occupants to interact with an onboard personal AI that uses Microsoft’s OpenAI technology. Kawanishi said the AI agent "enhances mobility interactions through personalized natural dialogue.

Key Topics

Tech, Sony Honda Mobility, Openai, Izumi Kawanishi, Vision-s, California