The Afeela 1 Came Too Late And Now Is Gone Too Soon

One of nan astir overly hyped, unluckily named and curiously positioned cars has been officially killed. It's nan Afeela 1, amended known arsenic nan PlayStation Car, and it was meant to beryllium an eventual intersection of individual mobility and integer media. It is, instead, dead, killed by a operation of headwinds that moreover nan astir pessimistic of mobility analysts couldn't person foreseen erstwhile it was first revealed six years ago.

That said, nan six twelvemonth interval mightiness person been nan biggest rustle to nan Afeela 1's chances.

How did we get here?

What was to go nan Afeela 1 debuted astatine CES 2020 arsenic nan Sony Vision S, a car that made headlines not truthful overmuch for nan measurement it looked (it was beautiful plain) aliases nan measurement it was expected to thrust (Sony didn't really talk feel). It was notable simply because it was a car from a institution champion known for TVs that looked astonishing and video crippled consoles that were intolerable to find.

A fewer years later, Sony paired up pinch Honda to show that this wasn't conscionable a Gran Turismo imagination made manifest. This was going to beryllium an existent accumulation car. In 2025, it was fixed a value tag: $100,000, on pinch a maximum scope of astir 300 miles. With cars for illustration nan Lucid Air already connected nan road, going 400 miles connected a complaint and costing less, Afeela 1 looked retired of day good earlier it entered production.

Back then, I said it was already shaping up to beryllium a PS4 successful a PS5 era, and a twelvemonth later, nan unveiling of a somewhat taller SUV type didn't precisely displacement nan fates successful nan Afeela's favor.

That incredibly agelong rollout, teasing a car for six afloat years, was beautiful damning, but that was acold from nan only facet successful nan demise of nan Afeela 1.

A geopolitical EV catastrophe

Back successful 2020, nan early was looking electrified. Manufacturers astir nan world were gearing up for an anticipated European prohibition connected soul combustion by 2035, galore of them promising to person afloat electrified fleets years up of schedule.

Government incentives were generous, free chargers were popping up each complete nan place, and nan world cheerleader for emissions-free motoring, Elon Musk, was still mostly respectable.

In nan years that followed, everything fell apart, particularly present successful nan US. Electric cars became a governmental firestorm, pinch Trump’s run taking each opportunity to decry them. Our national rebates were scrapped, incentives for charger deployments were terminated and suddenly, nan world automotive scenery became mired successful a turbulent web of tariffs that shifted pinch nan winds of basking aerial billowing astir Washington.

EVs were now seen arsenic an unthinkable folly by a sizeable percent of American consumers. The CEO of nan world's largest EV shaper goose-stepping on to nan hit didn't help. What was a marketplace ripe for electrified invention successful 2020 turned into a mobility landmine by 2026.

Autonomy when?

One of nan cardinal trading points of nan Afeela 1 was to beryllium Sony deploying nan afloat mightiness of its integer empire onto 4 wheels. PlayStation gaming connected nan go! High meaning movies successful nan dashboard! Ratchet & Clank connected a weird small LCD connected your bumper for immoderate reason!

This was breathtaking worldly backmost successful 2020 because autonomous cars were correct astir nan corner. Waymo was doing unthinkable things, others were basking connected its heels, and a important chunk of manufacture analysts were predicting that hands-off, eyes-closed autonomy would beryllium a tick of a container connected conveyance configurators successful conscionable a fewer years' time.

Fast-forward to 2026 and, successful galore ways, we're nary person to that dream. Sure, we person a number of hands-off driver assistance systems disposable today, immoderate much aspirationally named than others, but location are nary mass-market, eyes-off autonomy systems connected American roads.

That intends nan inclusion of Sony's media empire isn't rather nan flex it was. Sure, your kids successful nan backmost spot tin person a hellhole of a time, but chances are they already person capable devices to support them good entertained without you having to driblet six figures connected a caller car from a caller institution pinch a funny name.

The intangibles

Another cardinal onslaught against nan Afeela 1 was that it, rather simply, didn't look very good. That first Vision conception had a fewer striking lines astir it. But by nan clip Sony Honda Mobility came about, they'd each been ironed out. A white, featureless sedan is thing that's difficult for anyone to get excited about.

Not each car needs to beryllium breathtaking to behold, but nan Afeela 1 didn't really present successful different regards. I've sat successful a fewer different versions of prototypes, and while they were each bully enough, nary held a candle to nan sorts of posh appointments you'd expect were you to driblet $100,000 connected a Mercedes-Benz aliases a BMW.

Sony was really betting connected nan car's media chops to present worth to its hardcore fans, but location are plentifulness of amazing-sounding cars connected nan roadworthy today, cars that look amended and costs little than nan Afeela 1 would have. Sony cachet simply wasn't enough.

Honda's acold feet

The last decease knell of nan Afeela 1 came astatine nan hands of Honda. While nan Afeela 1 was calved of a Sony dream, it was to beryllium produced successful business pinch Honda. When I met pinch Honda CEO Toshihiro Mibe past year, he was already getting cool connected nan company's American EV prospects. "The measurement initially will astir apt beryllium little than we had envisioned earlier," he said.

Since then, Honda took things further, canceling its 0 Series EVs. That struck maine arsenic a existent shame. Where nan Afeela 1 looked anonymous and was group to costs excessively much, nan 0 Series machines were stunning and intended to beryllium affordable. They had a existent chance.

Their decease efficaciously ripped nan level correct retired from nether nan Afeela 1. It's conceivable that Sony could return its content, car and characters to a caller platform, and indeed, nan property merchandise connected nan cancellation of nan Afeela 1 leaves nan doorway open, saying: "SHM will proceed discussions pinch Sony and Honda regarding its early business plans." But, that seems highly improbable to me.

So nan Afeela 1 is dead, and truthful excessively is nan dream of nan PlayStation car. If you've publication my sum of nan point successful nan past, you cognize that I was ne'er bullish connected it. Pessimistic is person to nan truth, yet I still consciousness incredibly bad astir this move of events. I said pinch and interviewed a adjacent fewer Sony Honda Mobility labor complete nan years, and each were highly excited astir what they were building.

And why not? They were trying to do thing new, a radically different acquisition successful a wholly caller car from a wholly caller brand. That’s not thing that comes on very often. Sadly, nan Afeela 1 will spell down successful history arsenic a instruction of precisely why that is.