Sony Honda Mobility returned to CES this year to show an updated version of their Afeela concept. Sure, it looks exactly the same, because physically it is, but the partnership says that the development happening behind the scenes is making the hardware better and better in advance of its release, which the company still says is on track for later in the decade.
While Honda has a robust (though far from perfect) driver aid suite, the company has stopped short of offering higher levels of driverless autonomy, choosing instead to focus their EV development on more driver-centric themes. We’ve yet to see a major autonomous concept from Honda itself since the company committed to electrifying, even if it has teased the notion that self-driving cars are seen as inevitable.
The company also announced that it will bring new “experiences” to the cabin thanks to a partnership with Epic Games, so we can expect to see some Tesla-like entertainment options floated, games included.
For the time being, SHM has just a couple of years to show us a fleshed out production car. Customer examples are expected to arrive as soon as 2026, barring any more global supply chain (or really any other kind of) weirdness.