Afeela Sedan Inches Closer To Production As Updated Prototype Debuts At CES

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Sony Honda Mobility has used CES to unveil an “evolved” version of the Afeela sedan.

The latest prototype sports an updated design that closely previews the road-going model, which will go into production next year. Some of the most noticeable changes occur up front as the car adopts a new bumper and a protruding nose that houses a digital display. The latter is flanked by recessed headlights, which reside beneath an illuminated strip.

The styling changes continue further back as the prototype sports thicker pillars and traditional side mirrors. We can also see a new rear bumper, a revised trunk, and updated taillights.

Besides the styling tweaks, the car has grown in size as it now measures 193.5 inches (4,915 mm) long, 74.8 inches (1,900 mm) wide, and 57.5 inches (1,460 mm) tall with a wheelbase that spans 118.1 inches (3,000 mm). This means the latest prototype is 0.8 inches (20 mm) longer, although the rest of the dimensions are untouched.

More: Honda And Sony Announce Afeela Brand, Unveil New Prototype

Moving inside, we can see a familiar cabin that largely carries over. That being said, there are a handful of updates including a revised center console that appears to have a dual wireless smartphone charger. It’s joined by a lightly revised steering wheel, a new rearview mirror, and what appears to be a monitoring system.

Motivation comes from a dual motor all-wheel drive system, which has front and rear motors that each produce 241 hp (180 kW / 245 PS). This should give the car a combined output of up to 483 hp (360 kW / 489 PS).

The motors are powered by a 91 kWh lithium-ion battery pack. The company was coy on additional information, but confirmed the car has a 150 kW DC fast charging capability as well as an 11 kW Level 2 charging capability.

Besides showing the updated prototype, Sony Honda Mobility announced a handful of other developments including a “conversational personal agent” that uses Microsoft Azure OpenAI. The companies didn’t say much about it, but they’re aiming for an “advanced voice-enabled system that delivers seamless communication with natural language and conversation-like interactions.”

Speaking of tech, the collaboration with Epic Games has resulted in cool looking displays that are designed to be immersive while also improving safety. These include game-like features including monster mode and an ocean theme.

The company also noted data captured from sensors can be used to create a real-time 3D digital environment, which can be augmented with additional information from the internet. This looked useful in demo videos as people, cars, and road hazards could be shown on a display despite being hard to see with the naked eye.

Last but not least, Sony Honda Mobility announced a partnership with Polyphony Digital. This will see the Afeela prototype added to Gran Turismo 7 later this year.