In the end, the electric car bubble has swallowed even two Japanese heavyweights like Sony and Honda, who in 2022 had created a joint venture to finally bring to life that prototype of a “PlayStation car” that had been talked about at least since the beginning of the decade, when it seemed the barriers between hi-tech device manufacturers and car makers had broken down (the case of Xiaomi might remain one of the few examples on the road).
NOT MUCH FEELING FOR AFEELA?
The name was objectively awful (intended by the Japanese to evoke the English term feeling) and it didn’t even bring luck since, according to Nikkei’s previews, the partnership between Sony and Honda is precisely the one at risk.
Too many, in fact, are the uncertainties surrounding electric cars in 2026 to continue betting on something that, despite countless announcements (it was omnipresent at every edition of CES, the American tech fair that kicks off the year), had never actually been seen on the road.
IS THE PLAYSTATION CAR DREAM STAYING IN THE GARAGE?
The official website, as can still be seen, shows more the interiors than the body shapes or performance, and the reason is clear: Sony wanted to revolutionize the travel experience and onboard entertainment by leveraging its assets: from PlayStation video games to Sony Music record label and, of course, its film studio.
For this reason, the concepts featured screens everywhere: on the front seat headrests, in the dashboard space, like a futuristic arcade (the compatibility with road safety regulations in various countries remains to be verified).
AFEELA CRASHED INTO THE GUARDRAIL OF REALITY
The market’s indifference to electric cars, Donald Trump’s tariffs which especially hit Japanese manufacturers (very strong in the US), and Chinese boldness have forced the two Japanese players to face reality: Honda recently admitted it had not correctly interpreted the current situation (which is why the president and vice president will cut their salaries for three months, giving up bonuses) and also announced the accounting of estimated losses up to 2.5 trillion yen in its financial statements.
This happened last March 12. Today Nikkei allows, with its exclusive, to add another piece to better understand the scale of Honda’s sudden halt, whose need to deeply revise its industrial strategies related to electric cars by cutting three EV models will cost it as much as 16.7 billion. At the same time, the new outlook for fiscal year 2026 now indicates a net loss instead of the previously estimated 300 billion profit. In such a context, there seems to be no room left to carry on with the ambitious experiment shared with Sony.
SONY LOOKING FOR OTHER PARTNERS (OR BETTER TIMES)?
A sudden stop that probably also caught by surprise the partner active in the gaming field: after all, the Afeela 1 was already bookable in California and deliveries were finally supposed to start, after numerous delays, just these days (while the SUV was slated to debut in 2028).
With the two models destined to remain locked in the garage for an indefinite time (probably forever) and the sudden decision to pull the handbrake on projects already in such an advanced development stage, it is hard to believe the same joint venture, Sony Honda Mobility, created to revolutionize not only electric cars but also the way we conceive travel, will survive.
There might not even be interest since in fact, despite the big names and significant investments, this entity has not managed to produce a single vehicle from 2022 to today. Game over then for the PlayStation house’s foray into the automotive world, or will the Japanese Big Tech go looking for other adventure partners?
