A car was unveiled at CES. It’s the new collaboration between Sony and Honda called Afeela. Can you feel an automobile? This joint venture seeks to bring interactivity to the driving experience for both passengers and drivers.
Ever heard of a Snapdragon Digital Chassis? This is what Qualcomm promises to deliver in a set of cloud-connected platforms for the vehicle. One technology of interest to me is autonomy. I wonder to what extent this car becomes driverless. If I’m having an entertaining experience, am I driving too?
The CTO of Epic Games promises augmented reality in the Afeela. I’ll bet they can come up with a way that I don’t have to fiddle with my phone to get navigation🙏. I’m not sure if a gaming experience is what I want for myself or others on the roadways. Will AI solve this?
These guys have their work cut out for them for sure. EV technology is nothing new, but a 450-mile-range sedan loaded with new technology and autonomous driving? They have hung their hats on 2025 with a 2026 delivery year.
Is it a good thing?
Time will tell if this will be a good idea or even go to market as promised. Something in my mind tells me that AI will bring more safety, while delivering less autonomy to my wallet. Updates, computer screens and such make me uneasy when it comes to the ownership and maintenance scenarios. In other words – Will this be a practical and useful car or an annoying Play Station on wheels?
I suppose we tend to not accept what we don’t understand. Afeela has piqued my curiosity in terms of the possibilities. I’ll hold my judgement until I finally see what they come up with.