Sony AFEELA Was A Hit At CES: Will It Be The Same In The Market?

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At CES, one of the busiest booths was for the Sony AFEELA, made in partnership with Honda. Zach already touched on AFEELA, so I will keep this short. By the time I got there, much of the promotional material was already gone, and they were requiring signup for even the shopping bags. It was almost impossible to get images without having someone facing the camera. There were lines to sit in the car.

The Sony AFEELA booth was in the Central Hall at the Las Vegas Convention Center with the home entertainment products, away from the automotive section. This seemed intentional. More emphasis was placed on the screens than the vehicle itself. People sitting in the car also seemed more focused on the screens. Very little attention was paid to the 90 kWh battery, ~300 miles of range, or 300 kW of motor power. The focus was on the entertainment.

Overall, the AFEELA 1 is a little smaller than an Accord. It is modern, if somewhat conservatively styled, other than a display screen where the grille would be in an ICE vehicle. Beyond that screen, it looks like an attractive car, not a science experiment. The overall form factor is a sedan profile hatchback, which seems to be catching on overseas. Beyond the screens, the interior would best be described as minimalist. From what I could see of the AFEELA 1 and the AFEELA 2 SUV concept at the show, they seemed well put together with even panel gaps.

Trying to “Out-Chinese” the Chinese?

Overall, Chinese cars have tended to take in-car infotainment to the next level. Many automakers have turned vehicles into a second living space, rather than just a means of transportation. Screens proliferate. Integration with the homes and phones is proliferating, with companies like Xiaomi serving as a great example. Many vehicles offer movies, gaming, karaoke, and even AR.

Sony has the advantage of a wealth of content, from movies and music to gaming. It has access to extensive content going back generations, from the purchase of Columbia pictures to its partnerships on PlayStation games. That would be difficult for a startup to compete against. But beyond the gaming systems, do you buy a Sony TV or stereo because Sony produces the content?

Perhaps the biggest challenge for Sony is the global competition at this price point. Starting a little below $90,000, it would be up against a Yangwang U7 in China, a much larger sedan with roughly 1300 hp, electromagnetic active suspension, premium materials, luxury features, and now a little over 1000 km of range … as well as screens. However, the car this reminds me of most is an IM L6 from SAIC, which has a similar layout and screens to the AFEELA, but at a fraction of the price.

At a show surrounded by tech people in the section that deals with entertainment tech, it was very popular. Understandably so. For people who have never seen some of the similar Chinese vehicles, it is something new. For people blocked from access to Chinese cars, it could still sell well. It will be a welcome addition to our market. Sony has a history of quality execution, so the production car could be quite compelling to the right consumer. But are there enough of those consumers to make it a successful product overall?