Sony to Produce Electric Car with Honda
2023-01-08
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1Sony publicly showed for the first time a new car that it will produce with Honda.
2The car, announced in October, appeared for public viewing last week at the Consumer Electronics Show, or CES, in Las Vegas, Nevada.
3The electric vehicle, called the Afeela, will use technology from Qualcomm, including its "Snapdragon" digital chassis.
4Sony's long-awaited push into electric vehicles shows how manufacturers are increasingly paying attention to the driver's experience in cars.
5Yasuhide Mizuno is the chief executive of Sony Honda Mobility.
6He told the CES trade show, "In order to realize intelligent mobility, continuous software updates and high-performance computing are required...To that end, we will work closely with Qualcomm."
7Qualcomm recently launched a new processor, the Snapdragon Ride Flex SoC, that handles both assisted driving and cockpit functions, including entertainment.
8Previously those functions were handled on different chips, or computer processors.
9Bringing the two together can help reduce costs, a Qualcomm official told Reuters.
10Mizuno said that Sony is looking to use its traditional strengths in sensors.
11The Afeela will have more than 40 sensors.
12The car will use the "Unreal Engine" 3-D creation tool from Epic Games, the maker of the "Fortnite" series of games.
13For Honda, the project with Sony may permit it to speed up what has so far been a slow move to electric.
14It has also struggled over the years to make gains in the luxury vehicle market with its Acura brand.
15"As safety and security are essential to mobility, we will integrate Sony's sensors and the Honda safety along with other intelligent technologies," Mizuno said.
16Production of the vehicle will take place at one of Honda's 12 factories in the U.S.
17The U.S. was chosen for the launch because electric vehicles are already popular there.
18Japan came second as Honda's home market, and other markets, including Europe, will follow, but no dates have been set.
19Mizuno said the company expects to take early orders in the first half of 2025 and send the first cars to buyers in North America in the spring of 2026.
20I'm John Russell.
1Sony publicly showed for the first time a new car that it will produce with Honda. The car, announced in October, appeared for public viewing last week at the Consumer Electronics Show, or CES, in Las Vegas, Nevada. 2The electric vehicle, called the Afeela, will use technology from Qualcomm, including its "Snapdragon" digital chassis. 3Sony's long-awaited push into electric vehicles shows how manufacturers are increasingly paying attention to the driver's experience in cars. 4Yasuhide Mizuno is the chief executive of Sony Honda Mobility. He told the CES trade show, "In order to realize intelligent mobility, continuous software updates and high-performance computing are required...To that end, we will work closely with Qualcomm." 5Qualcomm recently launched a new processor, the Snapdragon Ride Flex SoC, that handles both assisted driving and cockpit functions, including entertainment. Previously those functions were handled on different chips, or computer processors. Bringing the two together can help reduce costs, a Qualcomm official told Reuters. 6Mizuno said that Sony is looking to use its traditional strengths in sensors. The Afeela will have more than 40 sensors. The car will use the "Unreal Engine" 3-D creation tool from Epic Games, the maker of the "Fortnite" series of games. 7For Honda, the project with Sony may permit it to speed up what has so far been a slow move to electric. It has also struggled over the years to make gains in the luxury vehicle market with its Acura brand. 8"As safety and security are essential to mobility, we will integrate Sony's sensors and the Honda safety along with other intelligent technologies," Mizuno said. 9Production of the vehicle will take place at one of Honda's 12 factories in the U.S. The U.S. was chosen for the launch because electric vehicles are already popular there. Japan came second as Honda's home market, and other markets, including Europe, will follow, but no dates have been set. 10Mizuno said the company expects to take early orders in the first half of 2025 and send the first cars to buyers in North America in the spring of 2026. 11I'm John Russell. 12John Russell adapted this story from Associated Press and Reuters reports. 13_____________________________________________________________________ 14Words in This Story 15chassis - n. a frame upon which the main parts of an automobile are built 16mobility - n. the ability or tendency to move from one position or situation to another usually better one 17cockpit - n. the area in a boat, airplane, etc., where the pilot or driver sits 18function - n. the special purpose or activity for which a thing exists or is used 19luxury -adj. a kind of costly produce that buyers want but do not need 20brand -n. a group of products made by a company that are all sold under one special name