Sony Honda Mobility announced today that it is discontinuing development and launch of the Afeela 1 and a second Afeela model that had been in the works.
SHM’s statement pins the decision directly on Honda’s March 12 announcement that it was reassessing its EV electrification strategy in North America. Because the Afeela shared its underlying platform, manufacturing facility, and supply chain infrastructure with Honda’s now-canceled 0 Series lineup, SHM says it “does not have a viable path forward to bring the Models to market as originally planned”. Reservation holders in California will receive full refunds.
For the broader auto industry, this is one more casualty of a turbulent period for EVs. For Gran Turismo fans, it’s a little more personal.
The Afeela was never just another car that happened to appear in GT7. It was the product of a direct partnership between Sony Honda Mobility and Polyphony Digital, announced at CES 2024, with the explicit goal of integrating PD’s simulation technology into the vehicle’s development. Polyphony created the e-Motor Sound for the Afeela’s electric motors, with the synthesized audio designed to give drivers a sense of speed, braking, and cornering forces in the silent EV. SHM’s COO Izumi Kawanishi even drove the prototype onto the CES stage with a DualSense controller.
The car was added to Gran Turismo 7 in update 1.46 last April, the production version supported native PS Remote Play, and just last month a livery design competition invited GT7 players to create a wrap that could have featured on the real thing. It was as close to a “PlayStation car” as has ever existed.
Sony first showed off the Vision-S car concept at CES in 2020. After six years, a joint venture, multiple prototypes, a Gran Turismo integration, showroom openings in California, completed trial production runs in Ohio, and $89,900 reservations, the car will sadly never reach a customer’s driveway.
SHM says it “will continue discussions with Sony and Honda regarding its future business plans.” The joint venture technically still exists, but with no product and no clear path to one, the practical question is what’s left to discuss? It seems the only place you’ll ever drive an Afeela is in Gran Turismo 7.
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