My GT7 Log: The First Feel

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?

My FH5 Log: Never Just Drive

In 2015, Hyundai announced a new high-performance brand called N. Born in Namyang, Honed at Nurburgring, that's what N is made for.

Nearly a decade has passed and the Hyundai N project spawned numerous high-performance offerings such as this...

This is the Hyundai Veloster N, the first Hyundai N car sold in South Korea. Based on the second-generation Veloster that was launched in 2018, it features specially made suspension geometry and tuning, not to mention the N Power Sense Axle, track-focused N mode on the suspension setup, N Corner-Carving Limited-slip Differential, and N Grin Control System drive mode selection system. The 2.0L 4-cylinder turbocharged engine produces up to 275PS of power output and mated exclusively with a close-ratio, short-throw six-speed manual transmission with downshift rev-matching capability. Two years later, an available 8-speed double-clutch gearbox was added.

Next up is the Kona N. The first and only high-performance crossover SUV from the N range. Based on the facelifted first-generation Kona, it features unique N aesthetics inside and out while being powered by the same 2.0L 280PS Turbo GDi engine and the 8-speed wet-type N DCT gearbox as the Veloster N. It does 0-100kph in 5.5 seconds with a Launch Control set and a top speed of 240kph. It also comes with numerous high-performance functions such as the N Power Shift, N Grin Shift, and the most clever of the three, the N Track Sense Shift which optimizes adaptive shift for racetrack driving.

The addition of the Pirelli P-Zero tires, R-MDPS, ECS, TCS, N Corner Carving Differential, and N Power Sense Axle really made a difference to this front-wheel-drive hot crossover in terms of handling.

With the success of the so-called Hyundai N "First Family" and with the motoring world embracing the "new normal", the N project envisioned their "new normal" challenger that proves that the N project is ready in the age of electrification.

This is the Hyundai N Vision 74 Concept, a retro-futuristic Fuel Cell Electric vehicle that I won as the overall prize from Forza Horizon 5's Horizon Retrowave series update for 80 points.

Unveiled at the N Day 2022 event as one of the two "rolling lab" concepts alongside the IONIQ 6-based RN22e Concept, the Hyundai N Vision 74 Concept uses the Pony Coupe Concept from 1974 as its base for its retro-futuristic high-performance FCEV concept.

Powering this retro-futuristic concept car is a hydrogen fuel cell hybrid system that features two tanks under a rear window carrying a total of 4.2kg of hydrogen that is fed to an 85kw fuel cell stack at the front. Energy comes from the underfloor-mounted 62.4kWh lithium-ion battery. This hydrogen fuel cell hybrid system produces over 680PS of power and 900Nm of torque. It does 0-100kph in four seconds and flat out at 250kph. As for the range, it is 600km.

To demonstrate the capability of the N Vision 74 Concept, I've lined it up against past N models for a quick lap around Horizon Mexico Circuit. The past versus the future of N. This should be interesting. Roll the tape!

And here are the results...

Veloster N - 1m24.484s

Kona N - 1m22.099s

N Vision 74 - 1m15.008s

Welcome to the future, oppa.

For nearly a decade, the Hyundai N project has proven to be the biggest upset in the motoring world from the WRC to the Nurburgring and this "rolling lab" concept called the N Vision 74 is a sign of things to come from the N division. Electrification or not, a bridging bolt strike has been made.

Never Just Drive.

EPILOGUE

Having respect for the first N car sold in South Korea, the Veloster N is prepared for a one-car show I've lined up for. But first...

Remember this? I used to have that design back in FH4 but sadly, my so-called human error accidentally erased it. Long story short but my Mio Minato look is back in my Veloster N, this time in her second season look. I've even prepped it with the ardo kit and the eight-speed gearbox. Now it's a GT-class racer used during Superrace weekends.

With the makeovers done, it's time to hit the road with the Veloster N as it tries to take on what appears to be a re-enactment of the streets of Taipei at night, curated by a certain Forza fan. Let's roll the tape.

Still has plenty of juice even in the afterlife.

The Veloster. Born in 2011, died in 2022, forever a cult classic. The N version is the proper beginning and although it died and is gone, it properly served as the template of the Hyundai N brand. Positioned along with the Avante N and the Kona N, they really are the N's First Family. That's everything you need to know.

Let's wish for more Hyundai N cars in the world of Forza.

Let's Do The News! (May 27, 2024)

           

                                          

Your daily round-up of today's news...

- Davao Mayor Baste Duterte, the son of former Philippine president Rodrigo Duterte, condemned the firing of 35 Davao police officers due to the 'war on drugs'.

- The NGCP has placed the Luzon grid under Red and Yellow Alerts due to a short power supply. The recent Red Alert will be in effect this 4:00PM-10:00PM and Yellow Alert between 1:00PM-4:00PM and 6:00PM-7:00PM.

- 54 people, victims of suspected food poisoning in Quezon City; are being investigated.

- Hamas launches a rocket attack towards the Tel Aviv area in central Israel for the first time in months. Palestinian health officials say Israel has carried out a deadly airstrike on an area for displaced people in southern Gaza.

- About 670 people are estimated to be buried under a massive landslide in Papua New Guinea, according to a UN official.

- Supercars organizers are eyeing overseas expansion for the 2026 season. The first event held outside of Australia was in New Zealand in 2001. In the two decades since, Supercars have raced in China, Bahrain, Abu Dhabi, and the United States.

- Volkswagen will debut the Golf Mk8.5 GTi Clubsport at this weekend's 24H Nurburgring endurance race.

- Oshi no Ko's 2nd season will premiere this July 3rd.

- Bakuage Sentai Boonboomger casts Yu Miyazawa as Sakito Homura/Boon Violet and Natsuki Hanae as the voice of Byun Diesel.

- aespa's first full album Armageddon surpassed 1 million stock pre-orders.

- The parents of pro golfer Grayson Murray said he committed suicide.

TTFN.

2024 NASCAR Cup Series - Coca-Cola 600

The eve before Memorial Day, the 2024 NASCAR Cup Series continues in Charlotte Motor Speedway for the biggest oval racing event of the season, the Coca-Cola 600. 

As Kyle Larson is busy with his Indy 500 campaign, his reserve driver, Justin Allgaier, takes over the wheel of the #5 Chevrolet Camaro stock car until he comes back, which will be a long one due to the 4-hour weather delay there.

After the traditional pre-race ceremony saluting the troops, the Memorial Day racing event in the NASCAR calendar is on. The first stage saw a slow start for Larson's reserve driver Allgaier but clawed through the top. As William Byron won Stage 1, Stage 2 saw disaster for Ryan Blaney as he banged through the wall followed by word from Hendrick Motorsports saying Kyle Larson was en route to Charlotte after finishing 18th at the Indy 500. As Noah Gragson slides out of the race, Christopher Bell wins Stage 2.

As the race paused for a Memorial Day tradition, Stage 3 kicked off until precipitation grounded the race to a halt. As Kyle Larson arrived and the track-drying commenced, organizers said it would take a long time to get it dried up.

Screengrab from NASCAR

Due to inclement weather, high humidity, and the likelihood of resuming the race at 0100 hours local time with the track-drying process, the race has ground to a premature end. Christopher Bell, currently leading the race, wins the Coca-Cola 600.

The next race is at World Wide Technology Raceway for the Enjoy Illinois 300 this June 2.

NTT IndyCar Series 2024 - Indianapolis 500

Never in the history of Indy 500 has experienced these; a 4-hour weather delay and a crossover for Kyle Larson as he's scheduled to race at Charlotte Motor Speedway for NASCAR's Coca-Cola 600, making him the first to race at two consecutive races in the same day. After four hours of waiting, the Greatest Spectacle in Racing roars to life with the 108th Running of the Indianapolis 500.

The Greatest Spectacle in Racing kicked off after a four-hour weather delay with an opening disaster when Marcus Ericsson and Pietro Fittipaldi crashed. As the race resumes on Lap 9, Kyle Larson nudges into Ryan Hunter-Reay, and come Lap 22, the only female driver in the grid, Katherine Legge, is experiencing some smoke and forced to pit. Lap 28 saw Linus Lundqvist spun.

Lap 32 race restart, the hunt on Scott McLaughlin was on until Lap 56 saw another caution in the form of Felix Rosenqvist suffering some issues followed by Colton Herta's crash on Lap 86. 

Halfway through the race, Ryan Hunter-Reay got the front damaged on Lap 107 followed by a spin by Marco Andretti on Lap 114. Lap 133 saw Kyle Larson penalized for pitstop issues followed by a Lap 147 crash for Will Power.

With two laps left, it became a climactic duel between Pato O'Ward and Josef Newgarden as the two drivers fought ferociously the final lap saw O'Ward leading until the final corners saw Newgarden make his final gambit.

Screengrab from IndyCar

After a final gambit in the final lap, Josef Newgarden has done it. He got a back-to-back Indy 500 win, the first since Helio Castroneves in 2001-2002. Pato O'Ward finished 2nd and Scott Dixon finished 3rd.

The next race is the Chevrolet Detroit Grand Prix this June 2.

F1 2024: Grand Prix de Monaco

The F1 '24 season continues with the Grand Prix de Monaco and with homegrown hero Charles Leclerc gaining pole position, will this be a make-it-or-break-it moment for this Ferrari driver? It's going to be a tough battle on the loudest Sunday in motorsport history because this race is coinciding with the Indy 500 and the Coca-Cola 600.

The Monaco Grand Prix saw the McLaren team sporting the Senna Siempre colors in honor of Ayrton Senna's 30th death anniversary.

Screengrab from Formula 1

As the lights went out, the action began with Charles Leclerc leading into the first corner and he's making great progress 13 laps later while his teammate, Carlos Sainz, is busy hunting McLaren's Oscar Piastri for P2. Sergio Perez, Kevin Magnussen, and Nico Hulkenberg, meanwhile, crashed themselves in the opening lap.

Halfway through the race, the podium remains the same with Leclerc on top, Piastri on P2, and Sainz on P3. With 28 laps left, Lance Stroll has a puncture after tapping the barriers exiting the Nouvelle Chicane, forcing him to pit for new tires. Still, there's no stopping the top three fighting for the win, even Leclerc himself gunning to win on his home turf.

After five years of failure, Charles Leclerc has done it. He won the Monaco Grand Prix at his own game. Oscar Piastri finished 2nd and Carlos Sainz finished 3rd.

After Monaco, Max Verstappen leads with 169 points while Charles Leclerc is now in 2nd with 138 points and Lando Norris is in 3rd with 113 points.

The next race of the F1 '24 season will be the AWS Grand Prix du Canada this June 9, 2024.

DTM 2024: Lausitzring

DTM's 40th anniversary celebrations continue in Lausitzring and such celebration is overshadowed by the opening lap incident that triggered a race-halting red flag because of the rainy weather.

Screengrab from DTM

In the first race that saw a race-halting opening lap incident that triggered a red flag and then restarted after a few moments, Kelvin van der Linde of ABT Sportsline is the winner while WINWARD RACING's Maro Engel finished 2nd. Manthey EMA's Thomas Preining finished 3rd. In the final race, meanwhile, Preining won while Kelvin finished 2nd and Ricardo Feller finished 3rd.

The next event is at Zandvoort this June 6-9.