Sony is famous for its world-famous electronics such as the VAIO computers, XPERIA smartphones, Alpha DSLR cameras, CyberShot digicams, and of course, the PlayStation gaming consoles. Everybody knows that. What they didn't know is that Sony is venturing into the automobile business with Honda's help.
Sony is venturing into the automobile business in partnership with Honda to form Sony Honda Mobility in 2022 and their collaboration spawned the first of its kind.
Unveiled at the 2024 Consumer Electronics Showcase in Las Vegas, Sony Honda Mobility's new EV brand is called AFEELA and this fully electric saloon is the start of it. Here in Gran Turismo 7, I got my first feel with the AFEELA but first, what is AFEELA?
AFEELA is formed with the concept of "moving people through the pursuit of innovation with diverse inspirations", by embracing cutting-edge technology and creating a new kind of joy in movement to inspire others. This car, as SHM CEO Yasuhide Mizuno said, would leverage Sony's experience with AI, VR, and AR to present a unique EV.
Sony began experimenting with their entry into the motoring sector with the Vision-S 01 and Vision-S 02 concepts, which featured numerous cameras, screens, autonomous driving capabilities, a catalog of streaming services, and the ability to connect a PlayStation gaming console. Seeing such proposals worth a risk, Sony joined forces with Honda to create a joint venture in the hopes of using the teachings from the two concept cars for public use and AFEELA was born.
The AFEELA features sleek aerodynamic styling as well as extensive use of devices such as LiDAR, image sensors, and radar, taking advantage of its autonomous driving capabilities. It might also feature a built-in PS5 and little did you know that the producers of Gran Turismo are involved in the making of the AFEELA's software.
Pre-orders for the AFEELA have commenced before the end of 2025 with the United States the first to get one in the spring of 2026 followed by Japan in the second half. It will be made at a Honda factory in North America.
I visited the Tsukuba Circuit to test drive the AFEELA, the first car from the Sony-Honda joint venture. I wanted to find out how good this car really is. Roll the tape.
Although specs remain unknown for now because this is the prototype offered in the game, I can tell you that it tends to understeer and is challenging to brake through the corners because of its mild driving feel and bulky hardware involved in this EV saloon but I find the AFEELA to be almost as enjoyable to drive as a GR Supra.
I've posted a 1m05.400s lap time, which is not bad for a stillborn EV saloon car created by the same folks that did the PlayStation.
It's too early for the verdict on AFEELA but thanks to a video game like Gran Turismo 7, interest in this electric car is growing slowly but surely. Imagine the potential AFEELA customers will be because of its GT7 debut. There will be so-called PlayStation babies, people born from the time the first PlayStation debuted, willing to fork their deposit money for the AFEELA. Again, this is too early to tell.
Can you feel it now?