I “drove” Sony’s new electric car, the Afila: an impressive experience

The futuristic Afila electric car, designed in collaboration by Sony and Honda, was one of the main attractions at the Sony booth at CES 2024 in Las Vegas. We were there, and we are one of the few media invited to take a seat on the board. About a twenty minute experience, with a brand representative. A quick guided tour, but enough to get an idea of ​​the work the two companies have accomplished on electric cars in just a few years.

Let’s point out that this is still a prototype, even though Sony and Honda (which has introduced two new electric cars for its part) assure us that the production car will be very close, both in terms of design and functionality. Obviously, being able to play it with a PS5 controller shouldn’t be possible once it’s released.

Afila on video

We took advantage of our presence at CES to shoot a video of our experience with the Afila from Sony Honda Mobility. You can find our experience by writing below this video.

PS5 in an electric car? Yes!

In terms of design, we already knew the Sony Honda Afila. No need to go over it, nothing has changed this year, or almost nothing. We’re still in the presence of a nice, long sedan that looks very aerodynamic. For the unknown moment, it is enough to advertise good autonomy.

On the other hand, the interior of the car is the highlight of the show. Doors are opened by pressing the touch button located at pillar level. A bit like the Tesla Cybertruck. Then the door opens automatically using a motor.

A cabin full of screens

After getting inside the car, you immediately feel that it was developed by Sony. The driver finds himself with a strip of screen in front of him. Four in total: two screens allowing the projection of images from the camera mirrors, a screen behind the steering wheel that serves as the instrument cluster, and a large screen across the width, intended for infotainment and GPS mapping.

The infotainment system doesn’t get any better with something to please the whole family: music, videos and of course, video games. Afeela integrates PS Remote Play, which allows you to launch games installed on your PlayStation 5 from your car. It is then possible to play using the touch screen or just with the PS5 controller. Which is somewhat reminiscent of the Steam experience in the Tesla Model S and Model X.

To give you a better appreciation of all those screens, Sony and Honda had the good idea to integrate the yoke, the kind of cut steering wheel also seen on Teslas. Hope Afila will benefit from the direction Steer-by-wireThis makes it easy to maneuver with this type of command.

But remember that driving should be completely autonomous with this electric car loaded with sensors: cameras, radar and LiDAR. Level 2 or even Level 3 is sufficient to offer semi-autonomous driving. In other words, it should be possible to take advantage of the infotainment system while driving your car and also as a driver.

Good sound, and back screen

Sound lovers should love the Afila: around twenty speakers have been integrated into the cabin (including the headrests of each seat), providing an impeccable sound environment. Be it listening to music, watching movies or playing video games.

Sony goes further and uses these speakers to create a unique feeling of silence, thanks to active noise cancellation. Like Tesla, once again.

Are you worried that the passengers in the back will be jealous of the screens up front? Don’t worry, there are two large screens in the back, each located behind the front seats. After that we get the infotainment system present at the front.

To navigate the interface designed by Sony, it is possible to use the touch screen, but there are also wheels and buttons present on the central console. Fluidity is excellent: we wouldn’t be surprised if the whole thing ran with the chip present in the PS5. The interface graphics are advanced, functional and detailed and the animations are immediate.

It is possible to change the order of different windows on the main screen. All you have to do is select the app with your finger and drag it to where you want to position it on the screen. We see this kind of operation in Tesla’s Model S and Model X, but on a smaller screen.

Screen… even outside

When we move to the exterior of the car, the technology is still present, especially on the front hood. Whether a frunk (front trunk) will be present is not yet known. But the screen is placed right above the front bumper. His role? Communicate with other road users. For example, send a friendly message to a pedestrian and let them pass. Or simply to display useful information such as battery charge percentage.

We were then able to get behind the wheel of Sony’s new electric car. Well, virtually. how ? With a very realistic driving position, but linked to a video game. A simulation created by Sony for the occasion, running under Unreal Engine 5.3, with a bit of GTA flavor, but more realistic.

Sony behind the wheel of the Afela

The idea behind the exhibition was to showcase Sony’s technology contribution to electric cars. A chance to see the camera mirrors in action (useful to combat blind spots), but also all the sensors present around the car. The 3D view on the instrument cluster allows you to see other road users and obstacles around the car in real time.

The car can also sense traffic lights and their position. Enough to predict the arrival of autonomous driving (like Tesla’s FSD) in the long term.

We were also able to play with a feature that was more fun than useful: augmented reality. A camera at the front of the car films what is happening on the road, broadcasts the image to the central screen and adds a virtual world. It is then possible to “roll over” monsters to collect points. A gamification of driving that we could do without. Or, to pass the time in autonomous driving? why not.

A prototype is ready to hit the road

For the moment, the Afila, manufactured by Sony Honda Mobility, is on the prototype stage. But, production cars are coming fast, very fast too. The first pre-orders should begin in early 2025 for effective marketing by the end of the same year. Must be delivered first From Spring 2026 in North America. An arrival in Europe is considered, but without any official information.

Regarding the technical details, we don’t have much to sink our teeth into at the moment. So we don’t know the battery size (nor autonomy) and charging speed. Sometimes there is talk of a battery with a capacity of 91 kWh and a charging power of 150 kW.

In early 2023, Sony announced a length of 4.9 meters, width of 1.9 meters, height of 1.46 meters and a generous wheelbase of 3 meters.

As for performance, it was a question of two electric motors, with a cumulative power of 400 kW (536 hp), a speed from 0 to 100 km/h achieved in 4.8 s and a top speed of 240 km/h.

All that’s left now is to wait to learn more about this futuristic electric car, which is as interesting as it is on paper. Provided that the sale price does not reserve it for the elite.