Honda and Sony are working on a luxury electric car. It will be like the F-35

Honda fans are already numerous, and their numbers may soon grow. This is all thanks to a new car that the Japanese company plans to develop in collaboration with SONY. Afeela is set to be a “computer on wheels,” and while it may not exactly fall into the luxury car segment, driving it could truly feel like a luxury! The vehicle is expected to feature, among other things, artificial intelligence functions and… augmented reality.

Two Japanese giants – Honda and SONY – have joined forces in a joint venture, Sony Honda Mobility Inc., to bring us a truly unique product. Their electric car is set to be a “computer on wheels” – a vehicle packed with electronics rivaled only by modern fighter jets!

Afeela is set to be an electric vehicle equipped with a range of cutting-edge technologies. The prototype features, among other things, artificial intelligence tools, hundreds of sensors, and software that enable the car to offer autonomous functions. It will also be a “tailor-made” vehicle—closely linked to its owner. If the owner wishes, no one else will be able to enter or start the car. All of this is possible thanks to facial recognition technology, familiar from smartphones.

The joint venture between SONY and Honda will deliver an equally futuristic in-car experience. The main highlight will be a touch-sensitive dashboard stretching from the left to the right doors. The interactive display will show not only vehicle data but also entertainment options—including movie streaming and PlayStation 5 gaming from SONY. Naturally, only passengers will get controllers—unless the car is parked. Meanwhile, the driver will have access to more basic features like music and navigation.

Afeela – an electric car like the F-35! SONY and Honda are building a time machine that will take us into the future of motoring

The best for last. How about adding a feature to your car straight out of the most advanced stealth fighters? If we take a closer look at the specifics of the American F-35 aircraft, we’ll find that its pilot can operate the machine using virtual reality. If we were to put on an F-35 pilot’s helmet—interestingly enough—we wouldn’t see the cockpit, the aircraft’s walls, or even its wings. Thanks to virtual reality, the pilot of this fighter jet can “see through walls,” using cameras mounted around the fuselage.

It was just a fun fact meant to illustrate what Afeela is capable of. A similar system is set to be implemented in the electric car from Honda and SONY. Virtual reality will ensure that nothing limits your visibility on the road. By putting on VR goggles, we’ll be able—just like the pilots of the aforementioned F-35—to “see through” the car’s body. The exterior of the vehicle will be equipped with over 40 sensors, including cameras, radar, ultrasound, and lidar. The future is now!

“Afeela represents our concept of an interactive relationship, where people experience interactive mobility and where mobility can sense and understand people and society through the use of sensing technology and artificial intelligence,” said Sony Honda Mobility CEO Yasuhide Mizuno, as quoted by The Verge.